Lovers
by Be-More-Specific
Summary: Sequel to Kisses. BS dealing with the rest of season five. Chapters 12 AND 13 are finally here.
1. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my reviews, you wonderful people.  
  
Okay, hello again everyone. It's Sunday and I've received 22 new emails and sequel requests since Saturday. I'm bowing to the inevitable and writing a sequel, two days after I finished the last one. You might ask yourself what the point was but I like to finish my stories on a good note, before more trouble gets to the characters, i.e., the news about Glory, Dawn, and Joyce. Well you'll just have to see how this turns out for the characters. I think that I've finally figured out how to successful separate the scene, (fanfiction.net won't let me insert a line, very annoying).  
  
Quick notes, another writer here, Kallysten made my day by reviewing my story, since I absolutely love her stories, (especially the trilogy starting with His Childe), so thank you.  
  
I'm jumping back in time to the morning after Spike and Buffy first got together, meaning they have to go and tell the gang. He he.  
  
Buffy stretched, she felt like the cat in the saying that got the cream, except that she was the cat who got the cream and new there was plenty more where that came from. She turned over and noticed the weight of Spike's arm over her waist. It was a big day in more than one. Her mom was coming home. Buffy's heart leapt. She couldn't wait to get her mom here. Then they could try and pretend that this whole thing had never happened, get back to where they had been. Her mom, playing mediator while she and Dawn fought. She had learnt that she definitely wasn't ready to be a real adult yet.  
  
Buffy also knew that they were going to go to the Magic Box together and tell the gang about, well . . .them. She was nervous; she wasn't worried about Giles or Willow. She was worried about Xander; he was bad at the 'grey area' thing.  
  
Buffy felt the arm around her tighten slightly and she looked at the man next to her in the bed. "Morning."  
  
Spike sat up, "Mornin' pet." Next second Buffy began to giggle, "What?" Spike as smiling along with her.  
  
"You're covered in peanut butter and melted ice-cream."  
  
Spike snaked out a hand and ran it over her bare stomach, "So are you."  
  
Buffy looked down at herself, taking in the mess of their midnight snack, she could see the rest all over the bed "It's a good job you're a tidy eater. We'd have ended looking like something out of a slasher movie."  
  
Spike laughed, "True. When's your mom home?"  
  
Buffy looked at the clock, "This after noon in about four hours. Giles is going to take us to the hospital and bring us all back. I wanted to give the place a quick clean before she got here. Thought I might get Dawn to lend us a hand."  
  
Spike looked at her with his eyebrows raised in mock seriousness, "Great pet, less than twenty four hours and you've already scripted me for housework. Honey moon period over already."  
  
Buffy smiled and leant down to kiss him, "Welcome to the life that you so wanted to be a part of."  
  
Spike pulled her to him deepening the kiss. He could handle all parts if he got this one.  
  
* * * Buffy stumbled out of bed about an hour later to run and grab the phone, "Hello?"  
  
Giles voice came over the phone, "Buffy. We were wondering when you wanted Dawn brought over."  
  
Buffy felt a little guilty, her sister might need a little sisterly time. "As soon as possible."  
  
"Right. I'll bring her right over. Uh . . .Buffy?"  
  
Buffy felt something coming here, "Yeah?"  
  
"How are things? You know uh . . .with Riley?"  
  
Buffy gritted her teeth, "Actually, Riley's gone."  
  
"Oh Buffy I'm so sorr . . ."  
  
Buffy cut him off, "I'm not sorry Giles, it was the best thing but I do need to talk to you about how and why and how things are now."  
  
There was a silence "Does this have anything to do with . . . Spike?"  
  
Buffy flinched a little, there really was no fooling her Watcher, "Look, we need to talk about this later. We're meant to be meeting at the Magic Box later right, Glory research?"  
  
"Uh . . . Yes. I have an idea."  
  
"Okay well when we come to talk about that I'll tell you then. I want to do this face to face."  
  
Buffy could have sworn that she heard Giles cleaning his glasses, "Okay. I'll drop Dawn off in a few minutes. I won't come in because Anya's doing an inventory and frightening everyone. I'll also pretend that you didn't say when 'we' come to talk about that. See you later."  
  
"Bye."  
  
* * * Buffy was constantly fighting the urge not to laugh. Spike was sat in her bath fully clothed with Dawn as they scrubbed the enamel. As Buffy had expected her sister's only response to learning about Buffy and Spike's relationship had been 'about time'. Spike had ruffled the girl's hair and declared with a flourish that it obviously wasn't hereditary; all the Summers women apart from Buffy had excellent taste in men. Buffy was scrubbing the sink ready for her mom's returned, keeping her mind focused was difficult, after all it wasn't everyday you saw one of the undead in rubber gloves.  
  
* * *  
  
Joyce Summers walked through the door of her home with a sigh. God it felt good to be there. She had been worried that she might never be there again. Giles had been good enough to pick her up and observant enough to see that she wasn't really up to entertaining guests at the moment. She flopped down on the sofa, "The place looks spotless girls. You been at this all day?"  
  
Dawn grinned, "Yeah! But we had a little help."  
  
Joyce smiled at her youngest daughters enthusiasm, "Tell me you didn't rope the entire gang in to help you."  
  
Buffy flushed, "Um . . . no. Not exactly. Spike gave us a hand."  
  
Joyce looked at erh daughter expectantly, "And Riley?"  
  
"Has gone. He's taken off with the military to some jungle."  
  
Joyce smiled to herself. She had nothing against the boy personally, he had always been polite and treated Buffy well, but she did know that he wasn't the man to truly make her daughter happy, and anyway she liked Spike, "And is Spike still here?"  
  
Buffy flushed a very deep crimson, "Yeah. He said that he didn't want to get in the way of your homecoming so he'd stay out of the way."  
  
Joyce frowned, "You tell him that he's to come out of hiding, he wont be in the way. Besides, if you're . . ." Joyce tried to phrase is delicately, "In a relationship now, there isn't much that he won't find out from or share with one of us three."  
  
* * *  
  
Spike had come downstairs and made hot chocolate for them all. He hadn't talked o much as listened. To the three women of the Summers house, as they caught up on each others lives. He smiled every now and then thinking how they had accepted him into their family, not only because of Buffy. Joyce and dawn liked him because of him. According to Buffy, Joyce had even encouraged her. He liked this feeling, like he was wanted, like he belonged.  
  
* * * 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I know it's boring but I don't want to be sued; I own nothing, not a thing.  
  
I'm trying to post here quite regularly, one of my readers said that she would explode if I didn't and I really don't want that to happen, (Sesen Obsidian, you know who you are).  
  
Buffy and Spike stood facing the door of the Magic Box. They were trying to steel themselves to actually walk through it. Spike wasn't exactly keen to admit it but he was almost as terrified as Buffy obviously was. He was going to be a big part of her life. He got that, but the people through this door were a big part of her life too. They had been for five years. They had talked before, about what they were going to say; how they were going to say it . . .  
  
"Look just explain to them that I love you and you love me and we're together."  
  
Spike nodded, "You know what Xander's going to be like though don't you?"  
  
Buffy nodded and closed her eyes; "I'm trying desperately not to think about it if you must know. He's going to start in about how many times you tried to kill us, how you're a soulless demon, you know the usual."  
  
"Well he accepted Angel eventually didn't he pet?"  
  
Buffy shrugged, "He never really did. That was the thing, he tolerated him because I was in love with him, but I don't think that he ever truly accepted him."  
  
"Well, I don't want to be best friends. All he has to do is tolerate me, and I'll tolerate him."  
  
"He's going to really focus on the whole, 'you tried to kill us' thing. And 'what happens if the chip stops working'."  
  
Spike felt himself tense, "That's still an issue is it?" Didn't she know? Even if it did, he wouldn't hunt anymore. He'd lose her and she was much more important than feeding, even if something happened to her, he wouldn't do it. He knew that she would hate it. He would not do anything to cause her to feel anything but love for him. He just wouldn't. Didn't she get that?  
  
Buffy smiled sympathetically and sat across his lap straddling his waist, "I know that you love me. It's not an issue anymore. I trust you. I'm just saying that they might not. It's not a question of whether I can deal it's a question of whether you can."  
  
Spike relaxed and wrapped his arms around her waist, "I can deal. There are only two of your friends whose opinions I give a damn about. The witches. And after I helped with Tara, they kinda like me."  
  
Buffy smiled, "Yeah, you were definitely the good guy."  
  
Spike frowned and pretended to sulk, "You mean I'm not bad anymore?"  
  
Buffy lowered her head to kiss him, "Don't be stupid. Of course, you're bad.  
  
* * * Spike proving how bad he was had made them late for the Scooby meeting. Now they were still trying to steal themselves to open the door, "We could just run away? Join the French foreign legion? How does that sound?"  
  
Buffy was only half kidding but Spike was apparently having none of it, "They're kinda big on the whole going out in the day. And what about you're mom, your sister, the Hell mouth, glory, the Scoobies . . ."  
  
"Yeah yeah okay." Buffy put her hand and the door handle, "You ready?"  
  
Spike took a deep unneeded breathe and nodded.  
  
Buffy opened the door and they stepped inside.  
  
* * *  
  
Xander was quite anxiously waiting for Buffy and Riley to arrive. Giles hadn't told them anything except that they would be coming round tonight. He simply wouldn't tell them anything else, but he had that look. That look he got when one of them was doing something that he didn't approve of. Xander was worried. Obviously, Buffy had caught up with Riley or Giles wouldn't have said that 'they' were going to be here, but why was he being so secretive.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow had a feeling that she knew what was going on. There was no way that after the way Buffy had been talking about Spike that things could continue as they had been. Had something happened? Was it possible, was 'they' Buffy and . . . Spike. In a way, Willow hoped so. In a very warped kind of way, she liked the blonde vampire. He of course had threatened their lives, but he really did seem to have changed. And he loved Buffy. Any fool could see. And Willow had the feeling that Buffy really did love him. And Spike was . . .well there really wasn't anything other word for it . . .Spike was cool. Willow knew that she could get to like him very much.  
  
* * *  
  
Xander's head snapped up as soon as the door opened. He looked as though he had seen a ghost. Buffy took a very deep breath, "Hey guys."  
  
Xander took in the fact that Buffy's hand was in Spike's, "Buff? What is going on? Where's Riley."  
  
Buffy looked at them all and sat down at the table with Spike next to her, "Guys I need to tell you some stuff. Now this is kinda hard for me so just let me talk and then . . .well we'll have a Q & A session later. Okay, first off all Riley's gone. He left last night. I told him to go because I told him that I didn't love him. He took it pretty well and went off with the military. Second. I told Riley to go because for a while now I've been in love with someone else. And that person is Spike." Buffy took in the looks on the faces of the people around her, people that she loved. Giles looked stressed but accepting. Willow smiled at Buffy, proving that at least she had one of her best friends support. Tara's face showed a pleasant blandness. Anya was smiling pleasantly but Xander's face showed absolute horror. "I don't expect you all to like it. But I do expect you to accept it. Because you all love me."  
  
A stunned silence followed. Willow was the first to actually move. She stood up and walked round the table to wrap her arms around Buffy. Buffy was surprised but she didn't hesitate to return her friends embrace, "Congrats Buffy."  
  
Buffy smiled at her friend with tears of gratitude in her eyes but it was what Willow didn't next that shocked everyone. She walked round Buffy had bending down she hugged Spike. Spike was as shocked as anyone but he returned it awkwardly, Willow stood and took one of his hands, "Because Buffy trusts you, I do to unless you give me a reason not to. There is a condition though."  
  
Spike frowned but nodded, "What's that?"  
  
"If you hurt my friend, I'll take out my voodoo doll and make you sorry that you're a man."  
  
Spike smirked, "I can live with that."  
  
* * *  
  
Xander couldn't believe that this was happening. He had thought that she would have gone to Riley and that they would have made up. But instead, she had gone and fallen in love with the blood sucking undead! Xander stood, "Buffy?"  
  
Buffy had been smiling at Willow but now she looked to him, "Yes?"  
  
"Are you out of your mind?"  
  
Buffy flinched at the harshness of his tone, "No Xander. I'm not out of my mind. I love him, we don't always choose these things, and I know that the vampire, slayer combination isn't ideal but it's the way that it's going to be and the way that it is. I want you to tell me that you can accept this."  
  
Xander just stood there shaking his head with his mouth open. Spike stood quickly, eyes flashing just a tinge of yellow, "You won't accept it? Not even for her, not after everything that she's done for you."  
  
Buffy tugged on his arm, "Spike sit down please."  
  
"No Buffy." He spun round again to face Xander, "Has she ever judged you about your decisions? I don't think that she has."  
  
Xander seemed to find his voice, "You're the evil undead, and you want to me to accept that my best friend loves you? What? Isn't a normal guy enough?"  
  
Buffy started to cry, and Spike got angrier, "True I'm the evil undead but in case you haven't notice your girlfriend has been around killing people for a thousand years before I even started. So you've got the jump on me." Spike looked to Anya, "Not trying to offend you love."  
  
Anya just smiled, "I'm not offended. It's al the truth."  
  
Xander glared at the vampire, "She's not a demon anymore."  
  
"Yeah and that was stolen from her. I don't kill anymore and that was stolen from me. But even if I had the choice, I wouldn't go back to it. I'd choose Buffy."  
  
Xander didn't seem to have anything to say.  
  
"I'm not telling you that we have to be friends. I'm saying that you have to tolerate me and I'll tolerate you." Spike pointed to Buffy, "She has been you're friend for five years, are you really going to lose her because you don't like her boyfriend?"  
  
Xander looked at Buffy. He didn't want to lose his friend. His friends were everything to him; they were his family. And if she wanted to be with Spike, well the vampire was right, it didn't matter how much he disapproved, it wasn't his choice. He wasn't prepared to lose. "You're right. I'm sorry Buffy."  
  
Buffy smiled at him and she moved forward as he hugged her. She knew that he didn't like Spike, but then Spike didn't like him either. They would just have to get on. They were both important to her. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns everyone but me.  
  
Okay I'm back. I know that it's been forever since I actually updates this story. Sorry. The site has been unwilling to let me log in for the last week so I've not actually been able to add any new chapters. I just logged on today at college to see I could get in and to my amazement I was actually able to log in. Unfortunately I didn't have my disk. So I've added the one chapter I have on hard drive. There will be a massive update within the next few days. I'm looking to add about six new chapters to the story. So bear with me. I promise I'll get them all up.  
  
After a few looks between the two of them Xander and Spike sat down opposite each other. They were glaring but not saying anything that might offend Buffy. Buffy however was not blind and the awkwardness was starting to cut. She looked to her watcher, "So Giles what do you think?"  
  
Giles just gave her a long-suffering smile, "It really doesn't matter what I think." Buffy was about to tell him that it mattered very much to her what he thought but he continued, "Now that we've dealt with that, I have some news, or rather I might be able to get some."  
  
Willow looked puzzled, "Either I'm really dumb or you're not making sense."  
  
Giles smiled indulgently at the witch, "I have not been able to turn up anything about Glory myself. I have searched all of my books, texts, I've even been to a few spirit guides, but I've turned up nothing."  
  
Xander frowned, "But I thought you said that you might have news?"  
  
"Well, yes. I've been in touch with the council of Watchers. I think that they'll be able to help us find out more about her. They have many more resources than we do."  
  
Buffy flinched inwardly, "Giles you know how I feel about the Watchers."  
  
Giles glared at her, "Buffy if you have a better idea present it now." Buffy was shocked at how harsh his voice was but she said nothing, "Right. Well then, in that case we have no other choice. I will be going to England in two days and I will see what I can find out. In the mean time, I think that we should try to avoid her."  
  
"With you there. I've only seen her once but I don't want to see her again. She's all scary." Willow gave a little shudder, but felt Tara squeeze her and comfortingly.  
  
Giles stood, "Well in know that this meeting ahs been short if not sweet. Buffy I'll require you tomorrow for a little training please, at around ten am. To the rest of you, good night. I have to go home and make a few phone calls. Anya could you please make sure to lock up?" Anya nodded, "Good night again."  
  
Giles walked to the back of the store and left through the training room.  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy was lost in thought as she walked home holding Spike's hand tightly. Giles had been cold. She knew what this was about even if she didn't want to admit it to herself. Giles was mad with her about Spike. And yet, he had been the first person that she had told about him. He had seemed to take it all right then, why suddenly different? But Buffy knew the answer to this too. When it had been a fling, it wasn't a big deal, but now that Buffy had fallen in love with the vampire, it was a big deal again. She cast her mind back to the things that had happened to Giles when she had last fallen in love with a vampire. His girlfriend had been murdered and left mangled on his bed, Angel had almost killed him, and then he had spent about twelve hours being tortured by the vampire. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Giles did have a reason to be rattled. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She could have handled this better, a lot better than she had at any rate.  
  
There was no way to make it seem normal and okay, but she had rather thrust it on them without much regard for their feelings and they were her friends. Giles was more than that. He was practically her father and she had not been fair really.  
  
* * *  
  
Spike had not missed the attitude of the watcher, but unlike Xander he don't expressed it. In an odd way, this seemed to hurt Buffy more. Rather than just be abusive, he had bitten his tongue, however much he disapproved and respected her wishes. Spike suspected that this had hurt Buffy even more than Xander had.  
  
Spike took his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "Hey pet. You okay?"  
  
Buffy looked up to him, "Yeah. I went fine, great. They all accepted you."  
  
Spike stopped and touched her face, "Pet. . ."  
  
Buffy wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest, "He was so cold. He didn't want to hurt me so he didn't say anything, but I know how he was feeling. He was mad at me, disappointed in me. He did this once before. When I didn't tell him that Angel had come back from hell. He supported me in front of the gang but he was so hurt and angry. I thought for a while that he might never forgive me."  
  
Spike felt his stomach clench, he knew how highly she regarded Giles' opinion and how much it must hurt that he wasn't happy with her. He just didn't know how to make it better for her. "He'll see pet. In time he'll see, I'm no threat to him or the others."  
  
"That's not what it is. That's not what bothers him so much."  
  
Spike was confused, "Then what is it?"  
  
"It's that I would put him through this again. That I would fall in love with another vampire, fly in the face of my duty and, in his opinion, betray everything that he and I have spent my whole life fighting.  
  
"He sees it as a personal thing. He spent months supporting me when Angel turned evil and now he feels like I'm risking disaster again, this time I'm even doing in deliberately."  
  
Spike tipped her face up to him, "Love, I'm not Angel. This is not the same. Don't you know that?"  
  
Buffy angrily pushed her hair out of her face, and stepped away from him a little, "Of course I know that. What do you think that I'm stupid? I know that you're different."  
  
Spike laughed, "All right no need to get so cross." But inside he was calming, he had been worried for a second that she was doing this because she thought he was Angel, but he could tell that she didn't. She got it.  
  
"Yeah well have a little faith in me. When I say that I love you, I mean that I love you, you bleached moron." Spike just smiled at her and she calmed, "Now will you kiss me already?"  
  
Spike took her in his arms and kissed her. She shivered into his touch and wrapped one hand around his neck. Buffy rubbed her other hand over his shoulder eventually pulling away fro a second a little breathless, "Home. Now." 


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, yes I know. I'm a bad evil person who has not updated their story in like, forever. But now that I'm back at college I'm back to updating regularly, promise. Thank you to all the people who did review, really appreciate it.  
  
Buffy punched the mats held by her tense Watcher. Really tense. Every time he spoke he was hard and cold, "Switch. Left lead."  
  
Buffy did as she was told. She took another stab at conversation, "So do you really think that they'll help us."  
  
Giles made a dismissive move with his eyes, "I wouldn't be going if I didn't think that they could. Whether they will or not is another matter. You're not exactly their favourite Slayer and I'm not their favourite Watcher. You're dropping your shoulder I can see when you're going to attack."  
  
Buffy flinched at his harsh tone. She tried to regulate her punches, but she could feel that they were off. She was stressed. Spike had done a pretty good . . .well an amazing job of relaxing her last night but now . . . well now she was worried again. She hated it when Giles was mad at her; it felt wrong. It was more hurtful than when anyone else was mad because it as so rare. Even when Angel had lost his soul Giles hadn't been mad at her. He had supported her, loved her, even after the death of Jenny. Buffy's mind drifted as she continued her punching.  
  
"You're still dropping your shoulder I can see. You're doing it again. . ."  
  
Buffy pulled away and began to take off her wraps. She was hurt, Giles was cross and picking at her and it hurt, "We're not done here Buffy. We have more to do."  
  
Buffy spun round to face him her eyes filled with tears, "Oh I completely agree. We're not done here. But we're done here, because if you keep speaking like this to me, one of us is going to do something that we'll regret. You are going to explain to me what is bothering you."  
  
Giles stared hard at her for a couple of seconds, "Nothing is bothering me Buffy." Giles turned away and headed towards the door.  
  
Buffy moved forward and tugged gently on his arm, "No, tell me. This can't go on tell me."  
  
Giles turned around and pulled his arm away from her, "I don't want to talk about it Buffy."  
  
Buffy flinched again at the tone in his voice but she wasn't going to give up now, "It doesn't matter what you want right now. We need to talk about this."  
  
Giles stared at her, eyes blazing, "Of course I doesn't matter what I want Buffy. It never does matter does it Buffy. In fact, it never matters what anyone wants except you. You. The Slayer. You're bringing another vampire into our group and into your bed. And it doesn't matter what we think as long as you are happy. Well you're not a child anymore. There is no excuse in inexperience anymore. Do you have any memory of how this worked out last time? Someone I loved was killed, as were numerous other people. I was tortured nearly to death and the entire world was nearly pulled into hell. I don't see how this situation is going to come out even better. To make things even worse, this vampire has no soul."  
  
Giles took a breath and seemed to shudder, as though as he had been talking he had been letting out something toxic that was inside of him. Buffy felt the tears spill down over her cheeks and she nodded and swallowed. Anger was blooming inside of her and she wanted to kick Giles and at the same time, she wanted him to hug her and tell her that he didn't mean it and that everything was going to be okay. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked straight at the man she considered her father, "You have no right to say anything like that to me. It isn't like you have never made mistakes. In case you don't remember your past nearly killed Jenny once too."  
  
Giles' flared again, "How dare you? That was an accident."  
  
Buffy's eyes blazed, "So was what happened with Angel. Except that if Jenny had told us everything that she knew in the first place we might have been able to do something about it, the world would never have been in danger, I wouldn't have had to kill my lover and the 'numerous' people wouldn't have died." Giles looked as though he was about to speak. "No! You've had your say. I'm going to have mine. Everything single person in the 'group' that you refer to collectively has made bad decisions in case you don't remember. Willow fell for a robot. Xander for a praying mantis, an ancient Incan Mummy, and then for an ex-demon. Willow managed to cast a spell that nearly killed us all and Xander did the same, resulting in me ending up a rat. Okay, I may have made I lot of mistakes, but we all have, and I have never reproached any of you. You're my friends and my family, I love you all. I have always respected your partners and I've forgiven you for mistakes like you've forgiven me. I am in love with Spike. Nothing you can say will change it and I won't give him up. Before you judge me, think about it. You've done plenty of things wrong too."  
  
Buffy grabbed her bag and stalked out of the back door, leaving Giles with his mouth open.  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy headed straight home. She stormed down the street. It was weird. In one way, she felt bad. She shouldn't have said what she said to Giles, but then she knew that he shouldn't have said what he said to her either. It had been cruel and unnecessary. She just had to hope that when he came to his senses and calmed down a little he was going to see that. Buffy opened the front door of her house and slipped inside. Dawn was at school and her mom was at the hospital for her check up. She slipped up the stairs and poking her head through her door, she saw Spike sat on her bed reading her baby book. Her mother had started that thing when she had been pregnant with Buffy, thinking that it was a nice idea. Dawn had one too.  
  
Buffy knocked on the door and Spike's lifted his head to look at her. "Hey love. Weren't you a cute baby?"  
  
Buffy flushed, "I can not believe that you found that thing. Did you deliberately start looking for things that could embarrass me beyond words?"  
  
Spike smiled and stood, "Absolutely. Yep. Such a cute baby. What happened there eh?"  
  
Buffy made a sound of mock outrage and smacked him lightly on the chest. "Mean."  
  
Spike slipped his arms around her waist, "Not fair. I can't fight back."  
  
Buffy ran her hands up his chest, "You could definite win though. You just have to try the non-violent approach." Buffy pulled Spike's head down to hers.  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy lay, relaxed in front of Spike. He stroked the back of her neck with his fingers and she sighed. He liked it when she did that. He liked to lie like this with her. He like it when she was happy. But now . . .he knew that she wasn't really happy. Something was really, really bothering her. He had a feeling it was something to do with her Watcher. The old guys disapproval had been obvious. Spike also knew that she didn't want to talk about it, probably didn't even want to think about it. But that wasn't the point she was going to have to deal with it at some point. "Buffy?"  
  
Buffy gave a slight sigh, "Yeah?"  
  
"I think we need to talk pet."  
  
Buffy turned over to face him with a look of worry in her eyes, "Normally when a guy says that he's going to do one of three things, break up with you, tell you he's gay or say that he hates a member of your family. I don't think it's the first, I'm hoping it's not the second and I already know that you hate Xander. So you can not surprise me."  
  
Spike just laughed, "Well, none of the above actually Slayer. This is about your Watcher."  
  
Buffy stiffened in his grasp ever so slightly. He might not even have noticed if he hadn't had his hands on her back, "What about him?"  
  
Spike gave her a look, "Don't pet. You know that I know there's something."  
  
Buffy smiled, "He doesn't approve. Just like I thought really. He said some really hurtful things, you know, how I didn't care about my friends as long as I was happy." Spike looked enraged but Buffy spoke quickly, "Don't worry I said equally hurtful things about Jenny Calendar, and how Angel and her own death had been Giles' fault."  
  
Spike looked shocked, "Well, I hate to sound like a parent refereeing their kids, but I think it's only fair to say that you both have some serious apologising to do. Neither or you should have said what you said."  
  
Buffy looked a little shamed faced, "Yes I know. I shouldn't have said it and neither should he, but now I don't actually know what to say to him to make it right. And I do want to. You know make it right."  
  
Spike pulled her body to his, "You'll make it right between the two of you, and you normally manage to do it in the end. He loves you and people who love each other sometimes say hurtful things because they care. I know that that doesn't actually help but it is true. The more you love someone, the more you actuall know how to hurt tham. Goes with caring."  
  
Buffy smiled, "Whendid you ge so damn philosophical?"  
  
"I used to be all poetic all the time."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Don't worry though. I outgrew it."  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy pulled her shirt over her head. "Believe me I don't want to go. But he's going today and I don't really want to let him go all the way to England with this hanging between us. I just . . .I need to fix it."  
  
Spike pulled on his jeans, "You should go. I told your mom that I'd join her for hot chocolate at some pioint this evening so when you get home we'll probably be here, maybe even with the little bit."  
  
Buffy looked up at him, "What's the little bit?"  
  
Spike smirk, "The little bit, is your sister. As in a little bit of you."  
  
Buffy smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, "I love you, you know that?"  
  
Spike kissed her, "I'm starting to learn pet."  
  
Buffy pulled her boyfriend's mouth back down to hers. Spike gripped her waist for a few seconds before pushing her away gently. "Go. Right now. If you don't you're not going anywhere tonight." 


	5. Chapter 5

Buffy stood outside the Magic Box for the second time in as many nights tying to force herself to go inside. She was terrified. She was afraid that maybe this time they had gone too far. That they had both said things that they didn't really mean and now they were going to be unable to make it up even after everything that they had been through together.  
  
Buffy put her hand on the door handle and pushed open the door.  
  
* * *  
  
Giles felt awful. Thinking back over time and the things that they had been through together, he had realised something. Firstly, that she was right. They had all done things that were . . .questionable. Not least he, what with his occult. That had nearly killed them three years ago. And even though Spike himself was . . . questionable in himself, he did have to admit that there was less of a threat in him than there was in Angel. Even if something bad happened between Spike and Buffy, the vampire could not actually do anything to hurt them, what with the chip. He had over reacted. And as much as what Buffy had said had hurt him, he knew that she hadn't actually meant it. She had been hurt . . .hurt by him. The very idea made him shudder. So many things in Buffy's life hurt her; he didn't want to be one of them. Not him.  
  
Giles grabbed his jacket and headed for the door just as it was pushed open by a tiny blonde-haired Slayer.  
  
* * * Buffy looked up to see Giles coming towards her with his jacket half on, "Hey."  
  
"Buffy!"  
  
Buffy looked at him and prepared herself for another onslaught. Instead, Giles came towards her and put his arms around her. Buffy only hesitated for a second out of shock before she returned his hug.  
  
Giles pulled back and steered her to the table and chairs with one hand round her back, "I'm so terribly sorry for what I said to you Buffy. You were right I had absolutely no right to say any of it."  
  
Buffy bit her lip and looked at him, "I had no right to say what I said either. I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean it. I really didn't I swear. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't really anyone's fault. It was an accident."  
  
Giles squeezed her shoulder, "I know you didn't mean it."  
  
"I cared for Jenny you know."  
  
Giles smiled at her, "I know that you did Buffy. I know that you did."  
  
"I know that you don't like Spike. I know that it's difficult . . ."  
  
Giles stopped her, "Buffy you don't have to. I over reacted. It just felt like we'd already played this scene, but I know. It's different. I won't lie to you and say that I'm completely comfortable with the situation. But I do know that he seems to make you happy and that's what's important."  
  
Buffy smiled, "He does make me happy. He really does."  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy waved from the door as Giles drove to the airport. God she felt so much better. She had been truly afraid that they might never work it out.  
  
It felt good now that things were back to the way they should be, Giles begging her not to let Anya and Willow destroy the shop as they fought for Xander's attention.  
  
That was another weird situation. And poor Xander stuck in the middle of this completely weird scenario. She would have thought the Xander would have enjoyed having two pretty women fighting over him, but he'd apparently had enough of that during the love spell. Now he just wanted them to get along. The one thing that they didn't seem in the mood to do. Typical.  
  
* * *  
  
Anya glared at the two witches stood in the middle of the shop. They were doing, well . . .something. She had no idea what it actually was but it involved touching stock. She didn't like it. It wasn't theirs. It was the way that she earned money. And they were touching it. Anya took a breath tried to call to memory Xander's humanize Anya rules and walked over to the table.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Willow looked up at her as though she had forgotten that Anya was even in the shop. "Oh. We're going to try out a few spells."  
  
Tara smiled pleasantly, "You see there's this thing you can do where you create light and we thought, what if we could make, like simulated sunlight?"  
  
Willow bounced on her toes in excitement, "Yeah. So there Buffy is middle of the night, and she finds this whole nest of vamps. And then she just goes 'Presto!'."  
  
"Only it won't be 'Presto!' exactly."  
  
"And then whoomph. There's a floating ball of sunlight. Vamps get dusty."  
  
Anya shook her head. God, she had wanted an answer not a five-act play. "That's swell. But you can't use this stuff. Giles has only been gone two days and you're already making trouble. You shouldn't do things while he's gone."  
  
Willow grinned, "You're the fish!"  
  
Anya decided that no matter what Xander thought about one of his two best friends, this girl was insane, "What?"  
  
"The fish in the bowl in 'The Cat In The Hat'."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Tara decided to cut in, obviously trying to avoid another row between the two. "It's this book, this cat does all this mischief."  
  
"It's so cute, he balances a bunch of stuff including that fish in the bowl, but don't try it for real when you're six. Cause then you're not allowed to have fish for five years."  
  
Anya grit her teeth in annoyance, "You're referencing literature I have no way to be familiar with. You're trying to make me feel left out and you're stealing."  
  
Willow looked shocked, "I'm not stealing! I'm just taking things without paying for them. In what twisted dictionary is that stealing?" Willow seemed to realise the absurdity of this argument in the middle somewhere.  
  
Tara flinched. There was definitely another argument brewing between the two. Well, looked like she was referee. She truly felt sorry for Xander; he so did not deserve this in any way, shape or form, "Willow maybe we should just pay . . ."  
  
Willow was not having any of that however. The redhead hated above most other things being told what to do by Anya. It always seemed to rub her up the wrong way. There was an element there of simply mistrust. After all, Anya had been responsible for her evil twin. And Willow was always afraid that something was going to happen to turn Anya evil, not unlike Angel, and then Xander was going to get it in the neck. And there was another thing, Anya assumed herself equal with Willow in everything, despite the fact that the gang had been together three years longer than Anya had been there. She knew that this was unfair. After all, she expected Tara to be considered equal, but then Tara had never been evil. It was a combination of all these things that made Willow always answer back when normally with anyone else she would let it slide. These things made her answer now. "Anya, Giles would be totally fine about this. Come on it'll be fun." Willow took a breath and tried to relax, olive branch time, "We could show you how to do some stuff, you could be floating pencils by the end of the day."  
  
Anya considered this for a moment, "Sometimes, I miss having powers . . .Oh! Oh! I know what this is. This is peer pressure any minute now you're going to make me smoke tobacco and have drugs."  
  
Willow rolled her eyes and focused on a tube of blue solution. "Look how easy." The tube floated and spun around.  
  
Anya scowled, "Hey! Don't float the merchandise."  
  
Willow turned around started lifting the other things on the counter. She knew that she was being childish but she loved annoying the ex-demon.  
  
"Stop that."  
  
The bell above the Magic Box door jingled as Xander came threw it, "Hey look at this my two favourite girls." His eyes fell on Tara and he smiled, "Three favourite girls."  
  
Anya immediately rounded on Xander, "Xander, Willow's stealing. She's a burglar."  
  
Willow also spun round and appealed to Xander, "Right! The cunning, daylight, in front of everyone, burglar. Xander I'm just doing a spell to help Buffy. . ."  
  
Tara listened and flinched as she saw Xander going rather red in the face. She felt like she should do something. Tell them both to back off a little maybe. She was sorry for him. Couldn't exactly be easy. Before she could say or do anything, however Xander had lost his temper with both of them.  
  
"Okay you know what? I'm tired of being the one in the middle here. I'm not going to let you two drag me into this."  
  
Willow backed off, "I'm not."  
  
Xander was apparently too angry to listen right at this moment, "Whatever the issue is between you two . . .just figure it out without me."  
  
Xander turned and walked out of the shop.  
  
Willow lowered her voice, "You made him mad."  
  
Anya practically growled in response, "Me!"  
  
"Tara. Who do you think he was more mad at?"  
  
Oh no, no, no. She was not going to do this. "YOU know what. I think that you two have some stuff you need to work out. Just really . . . talk."  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy glanced through her notes. New classes always scary but usually kinda fun. And at least only one of her classes now she would be taking on her own. She had been forced by a combination of choices to take twentieth century history on her own. Ick! She really detested history, always had, always would. But now she was taking one class with Willow, one with Tara, and one with both of them. Sounded good to her. To make things even better, when she got home, she had a blonde Spike waiting for her. Yum! Made her day complete. They were going patrolling tonight. After catching up with the gang at the Bronze. Buffy pushed some notes into her bag and followed Tara out of the lecture hall, "God! The professor spit too much when he talked. It was like being at Sea World. The first five rows will get wet."  
  
Tara laughed, "That was just um, you know. Enthusiasm."  
  
"Seemed very much like saliva. Seems, like a good course though."  
  
"Yeah. I think it'll be good."  
  
"You got plans for the after noon?"  
  
"No."  
  
Buffy grinned, "What do you say we go and get Willow and indulge in a little after school hamburger?"  
  
"We could. I was at the Magic Box earlier. And Will and Anya got involved in this little squabble. Xander left them to it."  
  
Buffy almost laughed, "Those two. Well, I think that it might be a good idea to go and make sure that they don't demolish the shop."  
  
Tara smiled, "The ex-demon vs. the witch. Could be kinda scary."  
  
* * *  
  
Willow closed her eye and concentrated, "Spirits of light I summon thee."  
  
"Is it done?"  
  
Red spots danced in front of Willow's eyes as she tried desperate not to scream, "No! Shhhhh! Spirits. . ."  
  
"Sorry I thought that you were done."  
  
Willow spun around and turned on Anya, "Do you wanna screw this up?"  
  
"No." Anya got to her feet and put down her pad, "No I'm sure that you can do that all on your own."  
  
"Anya you know what ever really has you mad, why don't you just say it, like you do every other thought that stomps through your brain."  
  
"I believe I have said it."  
  
Willow shook her head in fury, "No you haven't come on. Let it out."  
  
Both the girls were pushed against the wall as something large, hairy and growling appeared. After a few moments, it turned around and growled at them. The girls turned heard smashing noises as the creature pushed it's way out of the shop.  
  
Willow looked up a moment later, "He's not a ball of sunshine." 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I don't mind saying it.  
  
Distribution: Sure why not.  
  
Tara pushed open the door of the magic Box and looked around in horror at the destruction. Buffy saw it the next second. Without speaking, Tara ran through to the back of the shop to try to locate her girlfriend.  
  
"Willow! Anya!" Buffy checked around, under the counter, and round the corners of the shop.  
  
Tara ran back in the panic now evident on her face, "They're not back there either. They're gone. Buffy, something's been here and Willow's gone."  
  
Buffy gripped Tara's hand, "Don't worry. We'll get her back. Come on, this thing's probably leaving a huge trail.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow flicked over the pages of the book. There was nothing in here that was even close to being helpful. Though Anya wasn't helping either. She had to be the worst driver ever to get a license. "You know I don't even know how we made that guy, because . . .wow, advanced."  
  
Anya frowned, "Nobody made him, he must have been trapped in that crystal and you released him."  
  
"I released him? No this feels like a 'we' thing. Or a 'you' thing. It definitely feels like a 'you' thing."  
  
Anya rolled her eyes and then quickly stopped because of the way the car swerved with her actions, "Look, just find the reversal spell. And hurry look what he did to that lamp-post"  
  
"I'm trying. Put the top up the pages are all blow-y."  
  
Anya was amazed at the girl's stupidity, "Well, I don't know how to put the top up I only just figured out what the left peddle does. It makes us stop."  
  
Anya pressed the brake sharply to illustrate her point. Willow felt her stomach clench in horror. Well that certainly explained the worst driver ever to get a license thing. Oh, wait. She hadn't! "You don't know how to drive? Why didn't you say you didn't know how to drive?"  
  
"Well, I couldn't know if I could until I tried could I?"  
  
Willow tried to breath and came herself, "There's an overgrown . . ."  
  
Anya interrupted impatiently, "Troll."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Troll on the loose. Now hold on, I'm going to push the right peddle harder, I expect us to accelerate."  
  
Willow gripped the handle to the door, "There's a troll on the loose and you're going to CRASH GILES' CAR!"  
  
Anya seemed to miss the tone of her voice and simply clarified, "It's likely we're going very fast. You should have listened to me and not done the spell. Giles put me in charge."  
  
"Giles can be an idiot. The smart kind but still."  
  
"Look, will you just find the spell."  
  
Before Willow had time, to make a decent answer Anya had taken the car around the corner at speed and several pages blew away, "Oh. That's gone."  
  
* * *  
  
Xander ordered a beer and big plate of nuts. He was pissed off. Listening to his girlfriend argue with his friend was not exactly high on his list of 'fun things to do'. He wasn't looking where he was going as he was wrapped up in his thoughts and he ran straight into someone.  
  
The blond haired English someone looked up, "Hey, watch it mate."  
  
Xander sighed inwardly, so not what he needed right now, "Spike. Don't let me stop you from not being here."  
  
Spike smirked and pretended to go all school-girly, "I was here first."  
  
Xander grimaced, "Ah ha. Go away."  
  
Spike felt the urge to smack the guy in the head but he swallowed it as best he could, "Now why would I do that when it's bugging you so much having me here." Spike took a deep breath and tried to be . . .nice. "Something bothering you Harris?"  
  
Xander seemed shocked, "Um. No, well yes, but no."  
  
Spike sighed, "Women trouble?"  
  
Xander frowned, "How did you know?"  
  
"What else is there in the world that can bother a bloke so much? Apart from, you know, well making sex illegal."  
  
Xander smiled slightly. "Yeah, you're right. But this time it's women, thank god. Not the whole sex thing."  
  
"Let me guess. Willow and Anya are still fighting over you and it's wearing a little thin."  
  
"How did you know Willow and Anya were fighting over me."  
  
Spike smirked, "Do you really think that I'm that blind? They've been getting that going on for weeks."  
  
"How've you seen it coming when I missed it?"  
  
The boy really was an idiot, "I've been around about a hundred years longer than you."  
  
Xander inclined his head, "Yeah, I guess you have."  
  
* * *  
  
Anya was still trying to follow that damn thing's trail. She wouldn't have thought that in a place as small as Sunnydale an enormous troll was going to be so hard to track. And whatever the witch said, it wasn't her fault, okay well the making of the damn thing was her fault but the actual releasing of him wasn't. She had only meant to make him suffer in some horrible and unimaginable way, and a troll had been what she had thought of at the time. She was deliberately not bringing, the whole 'I created him' thing up with Willow. That was just going to make it sound like the witch was right, and she wasn't. She just . . . wasn't.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, I get that you're together, but how did it happen? I mean, I've promised Buffy that I'll be nice and I'm trying to be, but how in the hell did it start?"  
  
Spike smirked, "Don't really know. I just, well I always knew that she was beautiful and well, definitely worthy of a good shag but . . ."  
  
Xander held up a hand with a groan, "Too much information, graphic mental pictures coming to mind, I only meant, how did one of you make a move?"  
  
Spike shrugged his shoulders, "I decided that I wanted to so I just kissed her."  
  
Xander stared at Spike with something akin to awe, "You just kissed her, without knowing if she wanted to be kissed? How did you know that she wouldn't like, tell you that you were nothing and that she wasn't interested?"  
  
"I didn't know for definite. I just wanted her so I tried my luck, and got lucky."  
  
"Wow. I don't think that I would have the nerve to try something like that. I just . . . I mean, Anya actually made the first move with us."  
  
Spike frowned, "Really? I guess that it shouldn't really be surprising. She does seem pretty confident. Did she ask you to dinner or something?"  
  
Xander smiled and blushed, "Uh, well the first time she asked me to the prom. But then she did a runner rather than stay and face off with the mayor. When she came back, she pretty much just came into my house and took her clothes of."  
  
"I take it you got the message as to her intentions then?" Spike laughed.  
  
"Loud and clear."  
  
* * *  
  
About half an hour and six beers each later the two men were getting rather drunk. They were a bit slow on the uptake as something very large kicked in the door. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I am poor so please don't sue.  
  
Finally getting my chapters up. The server keeps crashing at college so only people with actual work are being allowed on. Apparently, this doesn't qualify, though in my opinion it's a damn sight more interesting than half the stuff they let the students get on with.  
  
Xander sighed, "Great, just when I was getting good and drunk. Does this mean I actually have to move? Go and find Buffy?"  
  
Spike shrugged, "I guess so."  
  
Xander then looked at Spike, "Couldn't you handle him?"  
  
"Yeah I could do that, but I'm paralysed with not being able to focus on which one of him to hit."  
  
Both men laughed as Anya and Willow came running through the door. Anya spotted Xander and moved over to him, "Xander, I don't think that you should be here. There's a troll."  
  
Spike looked at Xander as the guy stood and clutched the table in an attempt not to hit the floor, "Big guy, hammer, spinning a little? Think he's there."  
  
The girls looked over at the troll. Spike could tell that he'd had too much to drink; the troll seemed to be talking about eating babies.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow felt her shoulder's sag. God, this was getting ridiculous. They had chased this thing all over town, and now that they had found it, they weren't even exactly sure how they could stop it. "I wish Buffy were here."  
  
Buffy suddenly appeared round the door dragging Tara behind her, "I'm here."  
  
Willow closed her eyes, "I wish I had a million dollars." The others stared at her like she had finally lost her mind. "Just checking."  
  
"What's going on here?" Buffy stood with her hands on her hips glaring at them, looking remarkably like a dragon.  
  
Anya jumped in, eager not to be blamed for the trouble, "Willow stole ingredients and released him from a crystal. He's a troll."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, "I meant, why are those two rocking?"  
  
All eyes now swivelled to Xander and Spike, who despite the troll were looking quite cheerful, Spike got up from his seat, "We've been doing a little male bonding pet."  
  
Buffy nodded, "Oh yes?"  
  
"Yes. I think we got a little carried away with the whole beer thing." Xander smiled apologetically at his friend, "It's more my fault than his, I was depressed because these two have been fighting."  
  
Buffy raised her eyes brows, "Did you just stand up for Spike?"  
  
Xander looked horrified, "No, no, no. . . Maybe."  
  
Spike grinned, "See pet, I grow on people."  
  
"Yeah like a fungus," said his girl. Buffy shook her head and looked over to Anya, so what were you saying about the troll?"  
  
Willow cut in, "We can stop him! I think, we have a spell."  
  
Willow closed her eyes and calmed herself as she began to speak, before she had even properly begun, the troll interrupted her, "Stop."  
  
Willow grit her teeth in anger, "No body let's me finish!"  
  
"You told the witch to do that Anyanka, you seem determined to put an end to all my fun, just like you always did when we were dating."  
  
All eyes swivelled to the ex-demon, who looked as though she was tying to find the right words to express her obvious embarrassment. Spike spoke first, "You dated a troll? Well at least there isn't much competition to make Xander feel insecure here."  
  
Both the men collapsed into drunken giggles as Buffy rolled her eyes, "You actually dated a troll?" Buffy wrinkled her nose, "That troll?"  
  
Anya gave an exasperated sigh, "Well, he wasn't a troll then, he was just a big dumb guy, and you know he cheated on me and I made him into a troll which by the way is how I got the, "Anya's voice petered out a little, "job as a vengeance demon."  
  
This seemed to infuriate the giant troll and he brought the hammer down on a nearby table, "I DID NOT CHEAT! In my heart, there was only one wench. I had had a great deal of meat, next thing you know I'm a troll. And then what happened? Witches. Filthy dirty disgusting witches, they trapped me, I was imprisoned in that crystal for centuries. You did this Anyanka, you will die for this."  
  
At the mention on Anya dying, Xander seemed to recover himself a little, "But you seem to enjoy the . . . being a troll."  
  
The troll shrugged, I adjusted."  
  
Buffy blanked pretty much the rest of the conversation, it was really getting them no where she was going to have to do something about this troll, before he killed everyone, though she wasn't actually looking forward to tackling something that size. Then she had to get Spike home, sober him up, and give him a good punishing for the amount of alcohol he had consumed. He couldn't have timed it worse, with this thing she could have done with his help.  
  
The troll taking another step towards them snapped Buffy out of her thoughts; she moved forward and began the fight. Unfortunately for all concerned the troll took a swing at her with the hammer. Buffy ducked and it crashed into one of the supports holding up the top level of the club. Buffy rolled out of the way and dragged Willow, who was directly in the way of the falling wood with her.  
  
However, in the effort to protect her friend she had her back to the falling debris. A piece of metal fell onto her and cut straight through her shirt.  
  
Buffy's yelp of pain would have been enough to snap Spike to attention even if the destruction hadn't been. He threw himself over the piles over wood, and the strewn people to get to his Slayer. "Buffy? Slayer?" Spike lifted her a little and she gasped in pain.  
  
Spike growled in anger at the sight of the blood on her back, he ran a hand over her forehead, "I'm okay Spike, and I'm just a little . . ."  
  
Spike lifted her and lay her on the snooker table, "Are you alright, pet?"  
  
Buffy lifted her head, she was about to answer, but something over Spike's shoulder caught her attention. Spike turned and saw the troll coming towards them. He growled again. He squeezed his lover's hand and then moved round to face the troll, "Well aren't you an ugly bugger then."  
  
The troll growled and took a swing at Spike. Spike dodged out of the way, "Now normally, I don't care about people going on the rampage, but what I do mind is when she gets hurt." Spike pointed at Buffy, "She's mine and now she's hurt. That's a problem." Spike didn't bother to speak anymore; letting his anger fuel his actions, he snap kicked the troll in the head. It stumbled back. Spike punched it repeatedly growling. His face changed without him even realising as the fight continued, the scent of Buffy's blood was in the air, and the fact this thing had spilt it made him want to torture it for years.  
  
Spike kicked the troll so hard in the leg that he heard a bone snap, as the troll leant down in pain, Spike grasped it round the neck. He pulled hard to the right until he felt the spinal column separate.  
  
Dropping the corpse to the floor, he sighed. The troll had only landed one blow, but it felt like he might have one or two or. . . he felt down. . . six cracked ribs. Ignoring the pain, he moved over to his lover. He lifted her shirt up slightly and saw the cut down her back. It was deep and still bleeding quite heavily. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, "Willow!"  
  
The girl picked herself up, limping slightly and made her way over to Spike past Xander and Anya who were holding hands looking worried. Spike could tell that she was trying not to cry. The expression on her face showed that she was expecting Spike to yell at her for not getting out of the way quickly enough, "Don't you dare think that this is your fault Red. It wasn't, it was an accident. Just tell me, is there anything you can do? Magic? Or should we go to the hospital?"  
  
Willow looked relieved, but the tears started to stream down her cheeks, "I can probably stop the actual bleeding, I mean stop her from losing blood, but she might need stitches."  
  
Spike stood to the side, "Do what you can then."  
  
Willow moved forward, "Tara? A little help?"  
  
Tara came over to her girlfriend and took her hand, "What are we thinking?"  
  
Willow thought for about a second, "The spell we read about that time in the magic box, about a month and a half ago."  
  
Tara scowled, "That's heavy stuff."  
  
"I hate to interrupt but can we do something about the gash down my lovers back please?"  
  
Both Willow and Tara flushed under his gaze. "Alright Will."  
  
The girl's linked hands. They fixed their eyes to each other's, though as far as Spike could tell they weren't actually speaking. They seemed to be whispering something at the same time. The power was coming off them both in waves. Especially off the red head. Spike took an involuntary step backward and then moved forward again out of a desire to be close to Buffy. After a few seconds that seemed to drag onward Willow pulled her hand away. She seemed to have a light in her hand. Spike watched carefully as she lowered her hand and moved it just over the length of Buffy's back. Spike watched in amazement as the wound completely healed itself leaving no trace that it had ever actually been there.  
  
Buffy stirred and lifted herself up onto her elbows. She caught sight of Willow and Tara, "Guys what happened?"  
  
Both of the witches stumbled backwards. Buffy jumped to her feet and grasped their arms, leading them to chairs. Before she had moved two steps, she felt someone's arms come around from behind her. "What the . . ?  
  
She turned to see Spike, without thinking about it too much she just wrapped her arms around him and held him, "God, Buffy. You're alright."  
  
Buffy frowned in confusion, "I am not usually?"  
  
Spike pulled away from her, and pulled the bloody part of her top around to show her the stain, "Not when a troll ahs dropped something metal on you."  
  
Buffy paled, "What happened to me?"  
  
Willow looked as though she was going to cry again, "You were trying to get me out of the way of falling balcony and it fell on you instead. Tara and I did a spell to heal you. I'm so sorry . . ."  
  
Buffy waved away the apology, "Don't be stupid, Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine, yeah," said Willow turning the same colour as her hair. "Just a little dizzy."  
  
Buffy looked over to Xander and Anya, "You guys okay? Where's the troll?"  
  
Anya pointed round the other side of the pool table and Buffy saw the huge corpse, "Love to know how they're going to explain this to the town."  
  
Anya nodded brightly, "Should be interesting."  
  
Buffy looked around at the devastation, "We need to help the people we can and check that someone has called an ambulance."  
  
The Scoobies stood frozen for a second and then seemed to move as one, checking on all the people around.  
  
Buffy walked over to Spike and slipped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to kiss her, "You okay? I didn't think that you could actually go any paler but I guess I may have just been proven wrong."  
  
Spike held her tightly, "Do you have any idea how much you just scared me?"  
  
Buffy smiled, "I'm sorry. Occupational hazard."  
  
Spike wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her again. 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I mean it . . .actually nothing.  
  
Distribution: Sure just let me know where so that I can go look and feel all proud and stuff.  
  
I actually know how I'm going to end this story now. I had something of a revelation and it just hit me. I don't know exactly how many parts there are going to be to it but there will be enough to take us up to the end of Season 5. I don't know if it will go anywhere after that, depends if enough people want it to continue, (I'm not subtle at fishing for reviews am I?). So, I can now promise that the parts will come a lot quicker, I have a focus, a place I want to get to, and it helps.  
  
"Wow Buffy, the place looks amazing." Willow looked around at the Summers residence. She had expected to find it in at least a little disarray. Joyce still wasn't well and Buffy was so busy catching up with her schoolwork.  
  
Buffy beamed at her best friend, "I've been feeling very motivated of late, I have loads of energy and cleaning seems as good a way as any to get rid of it."  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy's eyes flicked over to her lover, she had sworn not to reveal that the vampire knew the difference between a window spritz and window sheen. He had turned out to be a welcome issue as far as her mother was concerned. Since there was nothing that he could do during the day, he tried to make himself useful, breaking off for Passions of course. Spike had also become her little sister's unofficial best friend. He took time to be with her, helped her with her homework when she needed it and always agreed with her about her subjects, (neither of them could see the point of Pythagorean Theorem).  
  
After a few days, Spike had given up the pretence of actually living at his crypt. Both he and Buffy had felt that it wasn't fair for him to just move into the house, after all there were two other people to consider. Joyce had been the deciding factor. After Spike had been staying there for a few days, he had made to leave one night when a movie finished. Joyce had looked surprised and asked where he was going. Spike had said he was going home, he didn't want to impose. Joyce had quite sharply told him that he was home, unless she suddenly sprouted large teeth she wasn't going to use the four blood bags in the fridge and that the next movie was better than the last.  
  
All pretence had been abandoned. Spike had watched the whole film with a big smile on his face gripping Buffy's hand. The next evening he had gone and fetched his things. Of course there had been several arguments then between the two lovers. Fortunately they occurred when Joyce and Dawn were out, anyone else who heard them may well have been worried.  
  
"There is no way that I'm going to have those boots in my room Spike you'll just have to get rid of them. They must be at least twenty years old."  
  
Spike frowned, "They're thirty five and looking well for it. Where I go these boots go. They're older than you, and you should respect your elders"  
  
Buffy returned his scowl, "That doesn't even work when Giles tries it, you think I'm going to listen to you and your boots? Think again."  
  
Spike threw up his arms in exasperation, "If I can sleep in a room with your vast array of stuffed animals you should be able to compromise with my boots."  
  
"I don't have a 'vast array'," said Buffy doing a terrible imitation of an English accent, "I have a few."  
  
Spike dropped the boots on the floor, and launched himself over to the bed and table near by, "A few? A few!" Spike began flinging them over his shoulder, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seve. . ."  
  
"Don't. You're messing them up."  
  
Spike spun around, "Make me."  
  
Buffy raised her eye-brows, "Make you? I can do that." Buffy walked quickly over to her dressing table and grabbed a bottle of perfume.  
  
Spike frowned in confusion, "What are you. . .?"  
  
Spike's question was answered when she pulled the top off the perfume and then picked up his boots, "Put them all back, where they were."  
  
Spike looked at her, "You wouldn't dare."  
  
"Wouldn't I? You know me better. Your stinky boots are not staying here."  
  
"Did you just call my boots stinky?"  
  
Buffy nodded, "I did."  
  
Spike growled, picked up another stuffed animal, and threw it at Buffy.  
  
Buffy stamped her foot, "That's it," She poured the perfume inside one of the boots and over the other one.  
  
Spike dived off the bed towards her with a growl, "Slayer!"  
  
Buffy dropped the boots and rolled. Spike flew straight past her and crashed into the door. He got to his feet rubbing his shoulder, "Bitch!"  
  
Buffy looked at the vampire, and the soft toys all over the room, and she began to laugh, she couldn't help it, it all seemed so damn funny. Spike glared at her as she clutched at her stomach, "I'm sorry, it's just . . . Do you realise that we used to argue about ways to save the world, ways to kill each other, now we're arguing about who's shoes and toys stay in our bedroom.  
  
Spike tried to maintain his growl, but the harder he tried the harder the slayer laughed. Within a minute his face had started to crack, he started to laugh until both of them were in a fit of absolute hysterics.  
  
Spike moved across the room to the girl and wrapped his arms around her. Buffy returned his embrace and she held him until their giggles subsided. Spike pulled away and stroked his fingers down the side of her face. Buffy leaned into his touch and ran her hands up and down his back. She leant upwards and pressed her lips to his. Spike lifted her off her feet and lay her down amongst the toys.  
  
Yep it was definitely good that no one was in the house with them.  
  
* * *  
  
Apart from their erotic arguments though, things were good, and they were well, good. Buffy smiled to herself, yeah things were good, her smile fell a little, which generally meant that things were going to go to hell. Spike noticed the change in her and he went over to her. He took her hand and squeezed it. Buffy didn't look at him but she squeezed his hand, "So what's up?"  
  
The gang sat down, but Giles remained standing, "Well, I've had some, the council of watcher's, they may have some information that may help us to ascertain what we're dealing with."  
  
Spike gripped Buffy's hand again, "So what watcher? When are they going to let us know?"  
  
Giles avoided eye contact with any of them, "I suppose we will find out when they arrive."  
  
Buffy tensed, "Arrive? They're coming here? Now . . .why do they have to come here?"  
  
Xander grinned, "Yeah don't they have phones? 'Hallo Buffy here's some stuff we know pip pip.'"  
  
Buffy pointed at Xander in support, "Yeah, phones. I'd like them on phones."  
  
Tara looked confused "What's so bad about them coming here? I mean, Watchers. That's just like other Giles's right?"  
  
Giles looked flattered but Buffy cut him off before he could answer, "Yeah, they're scary and horrible."  
  
Spike smirked as Buffy looked embarrassed realising what she had just said, Giles took it on the chin though, and carried on, "Well, they may appear a bit. . . hard-nosed, but essentially their agenda is the same as ours, they want to save the world and kill demons."  
  
Anya went very pale, "Kill the current demons right? Current. Demons."  
  
Buffy shivered unconsciously, "Giles I don't want them to come here, I don't trust them; make them not come here."  
  
Giles squirmed, "Well, they're probably already on their way. Our old friend Quentin Travers is heading up the delegation."  
  
"They put me through that test and then when I was Faith they almost killed me again. Honestly, I really can't handle almost being killed right now."  
  
Spike scowled, "They almost killed you? How is that exactly?"  
  
Buffy turned slightly, "A test the Watcher's council gives to Slayers we'll go into it later."  
  
Spike put his hand on her shoulder, "You mean they put you through the Cruciamentum? They still do that shit? And they did it to you?"  
  
Buffy nodded in a resigned kinda way, "Oh yeah."  
  
Spike's eyes flicked to Giles, "And you were her Watcher. You must have helped them; taken away her strength. You did that to her?"  
  
Giles went very red, "It's not as simple as that."  
  
"What do you mean, not that simple? You either gave her something, without her knowledge, or you didn't."  
  
"I didn't want to. And I tried to get her out of it."  
  
Spike looked as though he was going to speak again but Buffy put her hand on his arm, "Don't. That was how Giles was sacked, he tried to help me. Just leave it. Please?"  
  
Spike obviously didn't want to let it go, but looking at her face, he did. Tara broke the very awkward silence that descended, "Are you sure they're English? I thought English people were gentler than. . . normal people."  
  
Anya if it was possible, looked even less happy about the set up than Buffy, "I don't like this, they don't sound very ex-demon compatible."  
  
* * *  
  
Dawn crept down the stairs. She had heard them talking about her. They wouldn't tell her if she asked, and she knew it. They would lie to her, as though she was a stupid child.  
  
Well she was not having it. If this . . .situation was something to do with her, then she wanted to know about it. And if they wouldn't tell her, she planned to find out.  
  
Unfortunately, her mom caught her, "Dawn, what are you doing up at this hour. Go back to bed."  
  
Dawn spun round, "I was just . . . getting a snack"  
  
Buffy heard the voices behind her and panic seized her, "Dawn! Are you listening?"  
  
Dawn scowled in irritation; "I can get a snack if I want to."  
  
Buffy looked at Giles, "She was listening."  
  
Willow shrugged, "Does it matter? I mean, is she really going to set the junior high school buzzing with, 'oohh, there's a delegation a comin''?"  
  
Buffy realised that she had probably over-reacted in light of the fact that her friends didn't know about Dawn, "I guess. It's just that sometimes we say . . . stuff and . . . it's all good. Giles you were saying . . . something."  
  
Giles was quick to pick up his cue, "Just that, if the Council has new information, than maybe it'll help us get a bead in what we're dealing with. Right now I think that we're . . . a bit lost."  
  
Buffy looked at Spike in concern. He pulled her onto his lap from her perch on the chair arm and wrapped his arm around her waist.  
  
Buffy was worried. She didn't trust the Council. She never had. 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am poor and begging you not to sue.  
  
I'm in a hurry to write so here I go.  
  
Glory ran her hands through her hair. It was burning inside of her. She needed them to bring a human, very quickly. It was so humiliating, she was Glorificus, and she had wait for her minions to bring back her food for her survival. It was degrading and it made her angry. If they didn't hurry, she was going to eat the human and then kill them.  
  
The door opened, two of her servants were dragging a man through the door, and he was whimpering and mewling as he tried to squirm away. One of the pointed to Glory, "Help her!"  
  
The other, the one she thought might be called Murk moved forward, "We're here for you great one. Drink."  
  
Glory tried to force her pathetic human eyes to focus. Her fingers moved up the man's head and pushed their way in. The man screamed in pain as Glory screamed in relief.  
  
Glory pushed herself to her feet shooing away her minions hands, "No, I'm good. It's okay." She looked at the man disgustedly and pushed him away from her, "Try not cutting it so close next time. Understood?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"We live to serve."  
  
Their fawning washed over her head, she was used to it, "Take this mess out with the rest of the trash." Glory looked at the one called Murk, "And you, have something to tell me?"  
  
Murk grinned and bowed, "Indeed Glorificus."  
  
"And I'm waiting."  
  
"We have found, that the signs of the alignment are moving faster than expected."  
  
Glory looked into a handheld mirror, "Meaning?"  
  
"If you are to use the Key, you must act quickly."  
  
Glory sighed, "Fine. I have been cooling my heels in this crappy little town long enough. Sunnydale's got too many demons and not enough retail outlets."  
  
Murk kept himself in a humble position but his tone was just short of firm, "All you need is the Key."  
  
"And I bet mousy the vampire slayer knows where it is."  
  
Murk bowed, "If I may remind your eminence, you don't have much time."  
  
Glory smirked, "Baby, if that girl's the only thing between me and my Key, I don't need much time."  
  
* *  
  
Buffy had had one hell of a crappy day. No scratch that, she had had the worst day she had had for months. And now she was stuck fighting with this annoyingly stubborn vampire, when all she wanted to do was go home and persuade another stubborn vampire to give her a massage and possibly a little se . . .something else.  
  
All of her professor's had been getting down on her. She had tried to offer an opinion on something and her history professor had shot her down, and then another one of them had told her that the homework deadline had been this Wednesday not next Wednesday.  
  
The world was just crap at the moment, she wanted to go to the Magic Box, check in with Giles and then go home. Buffy almost smiled as she thought of Spike, unfortunately just as she was almost smiling, the vamp delivered a nasty kick to her stomach and sent her flying.  
  
Buffy's anger flared and she stood up, ready to beat the crap out of the thing when Spike leapt over the tombstones and staked the newly arisen vamp.  
  
"Spike! Why did you do that?"  
  
"Because I just saw it kick you in the stomach, a vamp like that. A nothing. You're off your game, what's wrong?"  
  
Buffy was about to snap back a response, more out of habit than anything else, except that instead she just wanted him to hold her. "I had a crappy day."  
  
Spike smiled a little and walked over to her, "Want to go home?"  
  
Buffy slipped her arms about his waist, "Oh God yes. Just gotta check in with Giles first."  
  
Spike nodded and planted a kiss on her lips, "Come on then pet, lets go check in, then we can do . . .other things.  
  
Buffy smiled up at him, "God I was so hoping you'd say that."  
  
* *  
  
Giles had not had a good day. In fact, he'd go as far to say he'd had a spectacularly bad day.  
  
They'd had the nerve to shut down his shop. And now they were talking about a review. They wanted to put Buffy through another test. The only problem was that he didn't know how he was supposed to stop them if that's what they wanted to do. He couldn't stop them. What was she going to say when she found out? At least this time he would be on her side from the start and she would know it. He hated thinking about the fact that he had betrayed her trust. He just hadn't known what to do for the best, like now. Oh God. What was she going to say? Another thought struck Giles, oh hell, what was Spike going to say?  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy pushed open the door of the Magic Box with her fingers entwined with Spike's. Already, she didn't feel quite as bad. After this, they could go home and Spike could help her feel even better.  
  
At least that was, she was feeling better until her eyes feel on a group of smartly dressed individuals in the middle of the shop. She would have been able to guess who they were even if there wasn't a very familiar man facing her.  
  
The man looked over to her, "Miss Summers! Good to see you again."  
  
Buffy glared while trying not to glare, "Mr Travers."  
  
Spike did a quick check over of the people in the room. The tension was radiating off Buffy and Giles. Neither of them were happy in the current company. And the man, Quentin Travers, he thought it was, well he fit the stereotype that Spike had been dreading. Full of his own self-importance and secure in the knowledge that the world could not get along without him. Not a good person to piss off, and the type that Spike could have bitten just to do the world a favour a couple of months ago. He brought his mind back to the scene playing out in front of him.  
  
"Giles has just been telling us of your training regimen. Perhaps you will favour us with a demonstration while we're here."  
  
"Right now?"  
  
Travers just smiled condescendingly, Spike found himself liking this man less and less by the second, "No need to rush you."  
  
Giles, who Spike noticed was looking rather worse for wear spoke for the first time, "They're staying rather longer than I had anticipated."  
  
"We've already laid out our project for Mr. Giles." Travers inclined his head to one of the other men, inviting him to take the floor, "Nigel?"  
  
Spike sae the mark of a man, who viewed himself as superior enough to delegate even the simplest of task. What the man said however pleased him even less, "It's an exhaustive examination of your procedures and abilities. Observe your training, talk to your friends . . ."  
  
Buffy was clearly appalled by the last part, "Talk to my friends?"  
  
Travers now interrupted, "Yes, we understand that you're still taking civilians out on your patrols."  
  
Buffy looked at Spike with anger and desperation in her eyes, "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."  
  
"Buffy, I can sense your resistance, I don't blame you. But I think that your Watcher hasn't reminded you lately of the relative status of the players in our little game. The Council fight evil, the Slayer is the instrument by which we fight. The Council remains, the Slayers change, it's been that way since the beginning."  
  
Giles snorted, "That's a very comforting, bloodless way of looking at it, isn't it?"  
  
"Giles, let me talk to Buffy, because I think she's understanding me," Spike could tell by the glare on Buffy's face the rather than understanding, Buffy was just getting, very, very angry, "Glory is stronger than you. She is a more powerful instrument, if you will. We can help you; we have information that will help. Pass the review, and we give it to you without reservation. Fail the review, either through incompetence, or resisting our recommendations . . .  
  
Apparently, this was too much for Giles, who cut him off, "Resisting your recommendations? She fails, if we don't do whatever you say. How much under your thumb do you think we are?"  
  
The older man was not worried by this outburst, "How much do you want our help?"  
  
"She's not your bloody instrument and you have no right to do any of this."  
  
Spike was quite surprised, he knew that Giles loved Buffy, but he hadn't thought that the old guy had it in him to really lose it. "I understand you think this is unfair. But there are factors that should motivate you to go along with the review. Now I don't want to do this. But obviously we could shut this place down permanently."  
  
Buffy's eyes widened in horror, "You can't do that. You don't have that kinda power."  
  
The older watcher openly scoffed, "Of course we do and I great deal more. In fact, if you insist on fighting us, we'll arrange to have Mr. Giles deported within the day. He'll never set foot in this country again. Now perhaps your used to idle threats and sloppy discipline Miss Summers, but you're dealing with grown ups now. Am I making myself clear?"  
  
* * *  
  
If Travers had known how close he had come to a snapped neck, chip, or no chip, he might have been a little more polite. As it was, Spike was only restrained by Buffy gripping his hand. The three of them now sat in the middle of the aftermath.  
  
Buffy was feeling utterly deflated. The kind of feeling she got when she lost a battle, only this was worse, she couldn't even mount an offensive. She just didn't know what to do for the best. It really did feel like they were sitting among wreckage, the shop, usually a refuge, now felt dirty, as though it had been claimed as someone else's battle-ground.  
  
Giles got up and started pacing, "It's about power that's what it is. It's about how has the power."  
  
Buffy looked between the two men, "I'm guessing they do. Big power outage in the Buffy County?"  
  
Giles was angry, he pulled off his glasses and started rubbing then with a handkerchief, "I should have set you loose on them that's what I should have done."  
  
Buffy looked utterly beaten, "Giles, that Travers guy is like, sixty, I can't hit him. Can I?"  
  
Spike smirked, "Oh, so you can't hit a sixty year old, but you hit someone twice his age. Lovely?"  
  
Buffy smiled for the first time since the Council members had left, "You don't count." The smiled faded as she looked back to Giles, "Can they really do the stuff they threatened? Kick you out of the country?"  
  
Giles carried on rubbing his glasses, "In a heartbeat. The rough stuff, they're all right at, they're a bit ham handed, though they get it down. But this stuff, the bureaucracy, the pulling of political strings, they're the best in the world. They can kill you with the stroke of a pen. Poncy sods. . ."  
  
All eyes turned to the glasses in Giles' hand as he pushed the lens out of the frame accidentally.  
  
Spike stood now, "What are they going to do to her for this review then?"  
  
Giles looked at the vampire, "We don't know if she's going to do it yet."  
  
"Of course I am Giles," Buffy interrupted them before it could turn into a fight, "I can't let them kick you out of the country. I need you. I also need for you two to not fight while we figure this out. Okay?"  
  
Spike and Giles exchanged a looked and a silent note of agreement, the vampire moved next to Buffy and slipped an arm around her, his eyes returning to Giles, "So what are they going to make her do? Just tasks? They not going to hurt her."  
  
Buffy shook her head, "That's not what I'm worried about. It's the rest. The mental part. The decisions I've made. Twice now, I've been within slaying distance of Glory, and twice, she's kicked my ass without even tensing a muscle. And I haven't been able to figure out what she is or anything about her, except that she wants the key which I have and I can't even figure out if it's okay for me to tell anyone that."  
  
Giles leant across the table and touched her hand, "Buffy, no one could have done any better than you."  
  
Spike was quick to back him up, but Buffy wasn't listening. She was too busy panicking, "But no one else is going to be asked the questions that I can't answer. They're going to expect me to be . . .to be like a slayer and know stuff. But I'm just me and I don't know anything and they're going to go away and they're not going to tell me how to fight Glory and I'm not going to be able to protect Dawn."  
  
Spike could see that Buffy looked as though she was going to cry. Spike slid his hand up her back and rubbed her neck, "Hey, we'll figure this out pet I promise. We'll make sure that you pass. Just don't worry. It's not going to help you."  
  
Buffy nodded trying to calm herself, "I guess I should be getting ready. Where do you think they'll start?" 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I swear.  
  
Distribution: Yeah, cause I'm feeling generous.  
  
They're coming faster now. I did promise.  
  
"Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins. Twenty years old. Born on the 4th of July and don't think there weren't jokes about that my whole life Mister cause there were. 'Who's our little patriot' they'd say when I was younger and therefore smaller and shorter than I am now.  
  
The Watcher looked bored, "So. You spell it A-N-Y-A?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good now we can move on to the questions?"  
  
* * *  
  
Willow tried not to panic, "Questions, right."  
  
Tara nodded, "We can answer questions."  
  
The Watcher held up a clipboard, "I'll need to ask you some things about the Slayer and about the both of you. Your relationship . . .whatever you can tell me."  
  
Tara flushed, "Our relationship?"  
  
Willow joined her in the flushing, "We're friends."  
  
"Good friends."  
  
Willow swallowed and bit the bullet, "Girlfriends actually."  
  
"Yes we're girlfriends." Tara backed up her girlfriend despite her embarrassment.  
  
"We're in love, we're lovers. We're lesbian, gay type lovers."  
  
The Watcher lowered his clipboard, "I meant your relationship with the slayer."  
  
Both girls looked down, going very red as Tara almost whispered, "Just, good friends."  
  
* * *  
  
Xander was pleased to get an easy first question, "Best friends. Me, Willow, and Buffy. The three of us have been together since the beginning. We've always gone on patrols and done demons research with her and everything."  
  
The Watcher nodded and made a note, "Have you mastered any fighting disciplines over the years?"  
  
"No." That was unfair and it was something the Xander knew he was touchy about.  
  
"So you have no special skills or power or knowledge that you bring to the group. Neither of you?"  
  
Xander grimaced with the thought 'rub it then why dontcha?' Anya only smiled pleasantly, "Just enthusiasm for killing the demons. Go deadness for the demons."  
  
Xander squared his shoulders and tried to redeem himself, "I don't have any powers but I do help."  
  
The Watcher suddenly looked interested, "How? Be specific."  
  
"Last summer Willow, Giles and me combined our essence with Buffy." Off the man's look he quickly continued, "Which isn't as weird as it sounds. We merged and I was the 'heart' part of a super Buffy."  
  
Anya smiled and leant forwards, "I'm told it was all very professional."  
  
The Watcher picked up his pen, "Are you saying that the Slayer needs that level of help from you often?"  
  
* * *  
  
Willow realised what she had just said and backtracked, "No, no she doesn't need help."  
  
Tara nodded, "She'd be fine without us. Sometimes she goes off and does stuff without even telling us."  
  
Tara frowned, realising how that sounded and looked at Willow who tried to cover her, "Not that she's like, a weird loner or anything."  
  
"I'm not sure we're saying this right."  
  
"Here's the thing. W can help because we do magic's. I'm working on this, ball of sunshine thing. See I have this theory. . ."  
  
Tara smiled, "It's very cool."  
  
"And if it works, easier slaying for Buffy. Not that it's hard for her now."  
  
The Watcher raised his eyebrows, "Interesting. What level are you at?"  
  
"Level?"  
  
"Magical proficiency level?"  
  
Willow looked desperate, "Oh, high with the level. Very high, one of those top levels . . ."  
  
Tara's voice came in strong and clear, "Five."  
  
Willow was surprised. She hadn't even known that there were levels, and she was a five? A five what? She looked at Tara hoping for inspiration but the blonde gave her a look, which clearly stated that she was making this up as she went along. The Watcher wrote down the details as he spoke, "And you're registered as practising witches under the names you gave me?"  
  
"R . . . registered?"  
  
Willow panicked, "Of course we're . . ."  
  
"Registered."  
  
* * *  
  
Anya was gripping her knees under the table. Could this actually get any worse? She was sure that the man was suspicious. H must be guessing that she had once been a demon. Oh, God what would they do to her if they figured it out?  
  
"Do either of you know anything about the Key?"  
  
Anya shook her head vehemently, "Nope sounds demony to me. I don't hold with that demon nonsense. Muffin? I cooked them myself."  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy practically fell through her front door followed by Spike under a blanket. She'd had more than enough for one day. They had managed to prevent the Council discovering that she was in a relationship with a vampire. Buffy had been so angry that she had wanted to just tell them. Surprisingly, Spike had said not to. He said that it was more important for them to get information on Glory for the two of them to be recognised as a couple. Buffy guessed he was right, though the expression on their faces might just be worth it.  
  
"Joyce?" The vampire called.  
  
There was no answer and Buffy led the way to the front room. When she had only taken two steps in she saw her. Glory had her fingers steepled and a falsely sympathetic look on her face, "Long day, sweetie?"  
  
Buffy and Spike looked at each other in horror as Glory turned and began examining the house, " . . .personally I need more space . . . but this is good for you, it's so quaint . . ."  
  
Buffy grabbed the poker off the fire, but before she could do anything with it, Glory plucked it out of her fingers, "Buffy. If I wanted to fight you could tell with the being dead already." Spike looked ready to attack, but Buffy shook her head, "Place nice, both of you."  
  
Spike came to stand next to Buffy, "What do you want."  
  
Glory lost no time in getting straight to the point, "The Key. Why else do you think I'd come here? You see, I think that you know where it is, and that's a good thing."  
  
Buffy fought to stop her voice from trembling. What if Dawn was here? "I'm glad you think so."  
  
"Well, it's the only thing keeping you alive right now, cause you may be tiny queen in vampire world, but to me you're a bug. You should get down on your knees and worship me. But no you still think it's neat having superpowers. Woo, big deal, stronger than humans. Who isn't? I could crush the life from you as easy as you break a nail, but I need the Key . . ."  
  
During this speech, Dawn had come through the door from the kitchen; Buffy felt panic and horror rise in her throat. She could feel the tension radiating off Spike, but neither gave any sign that anyone was there. Glory apparently, didn't need a sign, "Kid! Come here a sec."  
  
Buffy went white, "Leave her out of this."  
  
"Not asking twice."  
  
"This is between you and me."  
  
Glory looked furious, "NO! This is between me and my Key. You just happen to be the thing in the way." She clicked her fingers and Dawn walked forwards, "And you are just, the darlingest thing I've ever did see in my life." Dawn didn't look overly impressed with this impression of her, "What's your name honey?"  
  
Dawn kept her face blank, "Dawn."  
  
"Dawn? Did you know that your sister took my Key, Dawnie and she won't give it back? I bet you know where she put it don't you?"  
  
Buffy was slightly relieved to see that there was nothing about Dawn that was setting off smoke signals for Glory about Dawn's person. But that didn't help them with the fact that a demon was sat in her front room looking at the thing she had been looking for. That thing that was her sister, "She doesn't know anything."  
  
Dawn looked angry, "I know some stuff."  
  
Glory smiled at the younger Summer's nerve, "I bet she takes your stuff all the time without asking."  
  
Spike met Dawn's eyes with an urgent silent message, she saw the worry, "Go upstairs Dawn."  
  
Buffy could see that the girl was hesitant. She was sick of being treated like a kid, "I'll figure it out you know."  
  
Dawn stomped out of the room and up the stairs. Glory smiled, "I like her, she's sassy. And I'll kill her. I'll kill your mom, I'll kill your friends, and I'll kill him." Glory pointed at Spike, "And I'll make you watch when I do. Just give me the Key. You either have it or you know where to find it." Glory stood up; Spike automatically moved closer to Buffy, "Don't worry Blondie. We're not getting violent this time. But obviously, this is a one time only deal. The next time we meet something you love dies bloody."  
  
Buffy's legs almost gave way beneath her as Glory walked out of the front door. She turned to Spike, "We need to get them away. Mom and Dawn."  
  
Spike looked like he knew what was coming, "And you want me to take them somewhere?"  
  
Buffy put her arms around his waist, "Not far, just somewhere she doesn't know about. Your crypt would do. Just until I find out what I'm fighting. Please. Spike I am begging you. If anything happens to me, they'll need you. Please Spike, please pleas . . ."  
  
Spike pulled her to him as the tears started down her cheeks, "Okay, pet. Just breath. We'll manage this. I'll take them."  
  
Joyce came into the room, "What's happening? Dawn's sulking again."  
  
Spike smiled, "Pack a bag love. We're going to stay somewhere a little more dark and dank than this." 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
Distribution: Sure, just tell me where.  
  
Okay, I'm back. New chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed, I really appreciate it. You make the sun shine for me.  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy looked at her watch. Great, just great. She was already late and she wasn't even half way there yet. Buffy sped up her steps. Unfortunately they came to an abrupt stop as three fighters dropped around her.  
  
Buffy quickly took the sword off one of them and used it to defend herself against their attacks. She managed to deliver a sharp kick to the waist of one of them. He went down hard and hit his head on the tarmac. He wasn't getting up any time soon. She took out number two with a punch to the temple. Leaving her with the third. She knocked him to the floor and dragged his mask off.  
  
"Okay, let's see what you are, or who you are."  
  
The man was clearly a shade of choking to death with the pressure she was putting on the bar that was against his throat, "One soldier in a vast army."  
  
"What army?"  
  
"The Knights of Byzantium. An ancient order and now your enemy."  
  
"You work for Glory?"  
  
The man gave a derisive sniff, "You think we ally ourselves with the beast? You must be mad."  
  
"You're the ones who tried killing me."  
  
"We were fools three alone, but if it takes a hundred men, we send a hundred men, and if it takes a thousand we send a thousand."  
  
Buffy felt her stomach clench, "A thousand?"  
  
"As long as you protect the Key the Brotherhood will never stop until we destroy it and you. So, be done with it. Kill us and let legions follow."  
  
Buffy let him stand, he was human, "Go."  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy walked through the door. An odd sense of calm settled on her. She knew how to deal with them now. They were not going to make her feel like nothing, to them she wasn't nothing, she was everything. She got it now.  
  
Quentin Travers didn't even look up properly, "You're late."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Giles noticed the sword in her hand "Was there an attack?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Travers obviously didn't care, "Well, we can begin the review at last. We'll skip the more obvious question and move on to . . ."  
  
Buffy cut him off by placing the sword on top of his book, "There isn't going to be a review."  
  
He looked as though this was the first time in his life that anyone had ever dared to question him, "I'm sorry?"  
  
"No review, no interrogation, no questions you know I can't answer. No hoops, no jump," One of the watchers moved as though to speak, "No interruptions.  
  
"See, I've had a lot of people talking at me the last few days, everyone just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I finally figured out why. Power, I have it; they don't; this bothers them.  
  
"Glory came to my home today . . ."  
  
Giles stood up, "Buffy are you . . ?"  
  
"Just to talk, she told me I'm a bug, I'm a flea, she could squash me in a second. Only she didn't. She came into my home and we talked, we had what in her warped brain probably passes for a civilised conversation. Why? Because she needs something from me, because I have power over her.  
  
"You guys didn't come all the ay from England to determine whether or not I was good enough to be let back in, you came, to beg me to let you back in, to give your jobs your lives some semblance of meaning . . .  
  
"This is beyond insolence . . ." the sword just missed the Watcher's waist.  
  
"I'm fairly certain I said no interruptions."  
  
Xander and the other were sitting there with their mouths open, enjoying the incredible scene playing out below, "That was excellent."  
  
"You're watcher's without a slayer you're pretty much just watching masterpiece theatre. You can't stop Glory you can't do anything with the information you have except maybe publish it in the, Everyone Thinks We're Insano's Home Journal.  
  
So here's how it's gonna play out, you're gonna tell me everything you know and then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory. The Magic box will remain open, Mister Giles will stay here as my official Watcher re-instated at full salary . . ."  
  
Giles not so subtly coughed, "Retroactive."  
  
Buffy took up her cue, "To be paid retroactively from the month he was fired. I will continue my work with the help of my friends . . ."  
  
Another Watcher raised her hand, while trying to look humble, "I . . .I don't want a sword thrown at me, but civilians, I mean we're talking about children."  
  
Buffy looked up at her friends proudly and smiled, "We're talking about two very powerful witches and a thousand year old ex-demon."  
  
Anya glared at Buffy as though she had gone insane, "Willow's a demon?"  
  
The Watcher's completely ignored her, "The boy? No power there."  
  
Buffy glared at him with eyes that would turn milk sour, "The Boy's clocked more field time than all of you combined. He's part of the unit."  
  
Willow was grinning in brimming pride at her friend, "That's Riley speak."  
  
Xander was smiling goofily, "I've clocked field time."  
  
"Now, you all may be very good at your jobs the only way we're going to find out is to work with me. You can all take your time thinking about that. But I want answer right now from Quentin, cause I think he's understanding me."  
  
Quentin Travers was looking very, very pale, but surprisingly calm, "Your proposal is acceptable."  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh God. A god? A real god? Oh God."  
  
Xander was not coping well with the news. Anya held his hand, "It's okay sweetie, if it gets too bad, we can run away like I did that one time." All eyes in the room swivelled towards her including Xander's, "Apparently I have again said the wrong thing."  
  
Buffy spoke, "We can do this guys. We have to. We don't exactly have a choice."  
  
Buffy was sat in Spike's lap round the table at the Magic Box. It was her birthday tomorrow and they were meant to be discussing that, but instead they had somehow come around to the saving of the world again . . .again.  
  
"Buffy's right, from what the Council ahs been able to ascertain from the boo of Tarnis and their other sources, glory and two of her fellow hell gods ruled over one of the more seriously unpleasant demon dimensions."  
  
Tara flinched, "There's more than one?"  
  
Spike nodded, "A hell of a lot more than one. And they're all different. Some really good, some bad."  
  
Giles nodded, "All pushing on the edges of our reality trying to find a way in."  
  
Buffy leant back onto Spike's chest, "I guess Glory found one. The question is why?"  
  
"God knows pet. Why would something ruling over a dimension want to come here where she's no where near as powerful?"  
  
"Exactly, no bolts of lightning, no blasts of fire. Shouldn't a god be able to do that sort of stuff?"  
  
Giles nodded, "Normally yes . . ."  
  
"But in human form?" Spike looked doubtful.  
  
Giles nodded, "That's exactly it. From what I can gather, being here is severely limiting her power. In fact she's only able to keep her mind in tact by extracting energy from us; from the human brain."  
  
Tara looked shocked, "She's a brain sucker?"  
  
Giles looked forward and read out of the book, "She absorbs the energies that bind the human mind into a cohesive whole."  
  
Buffy nodded, "So . . .crazy people. But what do we do about her?"  
  
Spike thought for a moment, "Giles, would it be possibly to send her back? Wherever she's come from, there must have been a way out, meaning that there must be a way in?"  
  
Giles nodded, "I did think of that. The problem being that we don't know where we would send her. We could send her somewhere where she would get more power, we could end up sending her to a higher plane, or it could back fire and suck us all there. Too much risk."  
  
Buffy laughed slightly, "And when you think about it, the biggest thing on mom's mind is my birthday."  
  
Xander put his hands on the table, "I get that we need to plan. But don't we think that our first priority should be the things that are her first priority? The Key? I mean if she's so desperate for it, it must either have power over her, or control something that she wants. Either way, better for us to have it than her."  
  
Buffy looked quickly from Xander to Spike, then to Giles. Her mind flashed back to a conversation she'd had with Spike a couple of days ago.  
  
* * *  
  
"You can't keep it from them forever. They have to be told."  
  
They were laid together on her bed. He was rubbing her shoulders trying to get rid of a knot that had been there since her fight with the nights of Byzantium. "I know. But what if glory gets hold of them because she knows they know? She would kill them to get the information and it would be my fault."  
  
"Buffy, they want to help. They risk their lives because it's what they do. You can't keep them in the dark. They deserve better than that."  
  
Buffy rolled over and slipped her arms around his neck, "When did you get to be the smart one?"  
  
"I've always been the smart one."  
  
Buffy pouted, "What does that make me then?"  
  
He smiled and kissed her, "The beautiful one."  
  
Buffy kissed him back, "Good answer."  
  
* * *  
  
Buffy flushed as she thought of the rest of the night's activities but dragged her mind back to the conversation at hand, she looked at Giles and nodded, "I have something g to tell you guys."  
  
Willow instantly looked concerned, "What's wrong?"  
  
Buffy took a breath, "I know where the Key is. Giles, Spike and I we all know."  
  
Hurt flashed in the faces of her two best friends, Xander tried not to let it sound in his voice, okay Giles, he might be able to deal with, he was the adult, if they needed help they went to him, but Spike? "Why didn't you tell us, but you told Spike?"  
  
Spike looked at them, "She didn't tell me. I found out by accident."  
  
Xander nodded feeling slightly better, "But why didn't you tell us?"  
  
Buffy flushed, "I didn't want to put you guys in that kinda danger. If Glory knew that you guys knew where it was . . ."  
  
Willow looked hurt, "You still should have said."  
  
"Your right. I was going to tell you tonight anyway." Buffy took a breath, "There's something that you guys need to know about Dawn."  
  
Willow frowned, "I thought you were going to tell us how you found out about the Key?"  
  
Buffy paused; this was difficult, "I guess, I should go further back. Do you guys remember that spell I did? To put myself in a trance so that I could see what was hurting my mom?"  
  
Xander nodded, "Yeah, you said it didn't work."  
  
Buffy shrugged, "In the sense that it didn't tell me what was hurting my mom it didn't. But it did tell me something else. When I was looking at mom, I saw one of our family pictures in the background. One of me, mom, and Dawn. Except that dawn wasn't there she kept fading in and out."  
  
Willow's eyebrows knitted, "What did that mean?"  
  
"I didn't know. I went up to her room and I watched as everything in it kept disappearing and reappearing, including, when she came in, Dawn. Anyway, I thought that she was the thing hurting mom. She wasn't, but Spike saw me throw her against the wall that's how he found out.  
  
"Trying to get to the point. I went back to the factory where I found the Dagon Sphere, and I met Glory for the first time and a monk."  
  
"A monk? You never said anything about a monk." Tara's tone wasn't accusing just curious.  
  
"I know. He told me about Dawn."  
  
Willow looked worried, "Was she possessed?" I light came on in her eyes, "Is she possessed by this Key thingy?"  
  
Buffy smiled, "You are so smart Will. No. Dawn is the Key."  
  
The Scoobies looked confused. And slightly disbelieving, Xander looked at her intensely, "You're saying that Dawn is the Key that Glory is looking for? How?"  
  
"The monks. They were in possession of what was the Key. They couldn't risk Glory getting her hands on it. They needed it to be protected. They wanted to make sure that I protected it with my life. So they sent it to me in the form of Dawn."  
  
Willow still didn't understand, "Are you saying that you're mother was made pregnant by mystical energy?"  
  
Buffy shook her head, "The monks built our memories. She has only been here for six months, but they gave us memories of her whole life."  
  
The gang could do nothing but sit in silence for several minutes. 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Despite long absence...I still own nothing.  
  
Distribution: Sure, just tell me where.  
  
I know, I know. I'm terrible, horrible, have not updated since like...dinosaurs walked the earth. But hey, forgive me coz I'm back! Yay! Anyway, have been trying to choose between two potential endings and would love to hear opinions. Sad one, (all tortured and tragic), or happy one, (difficult journey but happy ending).  
  
She just knew that there was something going on. They were all so freaky around her. Why couldn't they just tell her the truth? Did they think that she couldn't handle it? It wasn't like she'd never got in dangerous situation before and come out the other side just fine and here they were babying her like she was helpless.  
  
Dawn lay on her bed having just stomped out of her sister's birthday party. She was kinda sorry that she had done that in the middle of the party, she hadn't wanted to ruin the night. It was just that she felt...alone. Cut off from everything around her, more importantly, from everyone. She just had to find a way to...belong.  
  
She needed to know what they were keeping from her, Dawn got up from her bed and headed for her closet. "Hey little bit."  
  
She whirled round to face the door, "Spike! What do you want?"  
  
He didn't seem bothered by her harsh tone, he just came in and sat down on her bed, "Feeling okay?"  
  
"Happy with a side order of pleased that would be not me."  
  
Spike nodded, "Yeah, getting that vibe from you. You wanna talk about it?"  
  
Dawn felt her temper flare, "Why? So that you can avoid the question and pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about?"  
  
Spike felt a smile twitch at the corners of his mouth. The little bit was so like Buffy. Which when he thought about it wasn't really that surprising. To all intents and purposes she was Buffy, a younger smaller, and non-smaller version, but still...Buffy. "I know what you mean, and I know that it hurts you that they're funny round you, but they don't mean to be. They love you."  
  
Dawn dropped her head, slightly ashamed of her outburst, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. But, you don't understand what it's like. I'm surrounded by people who are talking about me constantly behind my back. People who I spend all of my time with. I just feel...really cut off."  
  
Spike arched an eyebrow, "You think I don't know what it feels like to have that particular group of people talking behind my back? Ever since me and your big sis got together I know what they're talking about. How wrong I am for her. How much I don't deserve her. I know that anyway, but it doesn't make it any easier for me to know they're talking about it."  
  
Dawn met his gaze unflinchingly, "I don't."  
  
He didn't answer for a second. "Thanks little bit."  
  
It wasn't exactly that Spike hadn't made her feel better, he had. However, she still had to know. She ran her hand along the underside of the counter. Her fingers ran over the lump that was a small button. She pressed it. A draw slid open. She shone her torch inside the draw and picked up a small journal, Giles' notes. She sat down on the floor and began to read. Maybe there would be something in here...  
  
"So he sent you a card?" Willow sat down next to Tara and twined their fingers.  
  
"Who sent a card?" Buffy showed the card from Riley to Tara, "Awww, it's sweet," she paused, "It is sweet right?"  
  
Buffy smiled, "Yeah, it means that...well, wherever he is, it means that he's okay. I'm just glad about that."  
  
Tara smiled back, "So all is right with the wor..." he eyes went wide as she stared at something over Buffy's shoulder, "Oh, oh my God!"  
  
Buffy jumped up and looked over to the doorway. Dawn was stood there. She had a kitchen knife in one hand. Her other arm was held out in front of her. There was a cut, at least two and a half inches long running down her arm. Her face was tear-stained and her voice shook when she spoke, her eyes staring at some point in the distance, "Is this blood?"  
  
Joyce and Buffy ran over to Dawn. Joyce put her hands on her daughter's arms and Buffy took the knife out of her hand. Buffy felt panic course through her. Not her sister. No. Please no. "Dawn! What did you do?!"  
  
Tears started to course down her cheeks again, "This is blood isn't it? It can't be me. I'm not a key. I'm not a thing."  
  
Joyce quickly tried to cover, "Oh sweetie no. What is this all about?"  
  
An edge of steel crept into Dawn's voice, "What am I? Am I real? Am I anything?"  
  
Joyce threw her arms around her baby and held her tight. Dawn gave up fighting the tears. Btu she wouldn't hug her mother back.  
  
Spike felt his heart ache for the girl and her mother...and Buffy.  
  
Spike saw the others to the door. Giles wasn't exactly sure that he should be leaving, "Do you think that I should stay and try to help?"  
  
Spike smiled slightly, "Sure Watcher. What would you say?"  
  
Giles could not think of anything to say. He met Spike's eyes. "What are you going to do?"  
  
"I'm going to keep out of the way until they say they need me."  
  
Giles nodded and left.  
  
He climbed the stairs and he could hear raised voices, "...I know that I care about you. I know that I worry about you."  
  
Dawn cut her sister off, "You worry about me because you have to. I'm your job. Protect the key right?"  
  
Buffy tried desperately to explain, "I worry because my sister is cutting herself."  
  
Dawn's voice turned shrill almost as though she was about to become screamingly hysterical, "Really? How do you know? Maybe it's just another fake memory from my fake family."  
  
Joyce spoke for the first time since Spike came into hearing. She sounded utterly lost, "Sweetie."  
  
"Get out." Spike heard no movement at first. Then Dawn finally lost control, of her emotions completely, "Get out, get out, GET OUT!"  
  
From the end of the hall, Spike saw Buffy and then her mother exit the room. With some communication that was totally non-verbal, Joyce headed straight for her room and Buffy walked straight to him and into his arms. He pulled her tight to him and led her into her room. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he picked her up as though she was a small child.  
  
Sitting on the bed, he stroked her back, telling her that he loved her and that they would fix it. Together they were going to fix it.  
  
After a few moments she said something that he couldn't hear even with his vampire hearing, "What luv?"  
  
"How?"  
  
He didn't know what to say to that.  
  
The three of them sat in the living room. Dawn had been suspended from school. Buffy and her mom were arguing. Most men sat in that situation would have been very embarrassed. Spike wasn't. He was very aware that it didn't make any difference whether or not he was in the room. They would be saying the exact things.  
  
He was almost waiting for the right moment. When he thought that he might be able to help. He didn't know what could possibly help.  
  
"How can you talk about Dawn as if she's a thing?"  
  
"I'm not." Buffy struggled to explain, "I'm just saying that's probably how she feels."  
  
"Well then we need to show her that it isn't true. She needs to know that she's still a part of this family and that we love her."  
  
"It's not that simple. We're not going to be able to fix this with a hug and a kiss and a bowl of soup. Dawn needs to know where she came from. She needs real answers."  
  
"What she need is her sister Buffy. Not the Slayer."  
  
Buffy looked outraged and for a moment Spike was worried that she might get angry with her mom, "The Slayer is the only thing standing between Dawn and this god from the bitch dimension that wants to shove her in some kind of lock and give her a good twirl." Looking at Joyce, Spike saw the absolute terror that very concept inspired in Joyce. The idea of one of her children and he knew that Joyce still thought of Dawn as that, could be so much in danger. Dawn had always been the one she didn't really have to worry about. Buffy as the slayer, was the one who gave the most cause for concern. Now Dawn. Before Buffy could carry on though, Spike smelt something, "Buffy..."  
  
She turned to look at him and he could tell that she had almost forgotten that he was there, "Spike?"  
  
"There's something..." Spike got to his feet just as a loud whirring noise began, "Dawn!"  
  
He sprinted up the stairs with Buffy following him, "Oh my God it's Glory, it's Willow's spell..."  
  
"No luv, it's not Glory."  
  
He pushed open Dawn's bedroom door and saw the fire in the metal bin. His automatic instinct was to shy away; he and fire did not mix very well. But he helped Buffy fling a blanket over the top to stifle the flames. "God, damn it! Dawn!"  
  
"Buffy," Joyce's voice made Spike look around the room. Dawn was gone.  
  
"We have to find her. Before the Knights of hack-n-slash figure out what...who she really is."  
  
Spike stood and listened to the conversation. He had never seen Buffy like this. She was just one step short of manic and he knew it. Spike ached to hold her. He wanted to try to make her feel better, but he knew that there was only one way to do that. To find Dawn. His eyes flicked to her face when she said his name, "...you and I'll get the east side. Just find her. Please."  
  
Dawn wondered down the side of the road. She had been everywhere. Trying to...she didn't know what exactly she had been trying to do. Maybe, trying to convince herself that she existed, that she mattered. That she wasn't just a key.  
  
She remembered things. How could they not have happened? How could they not exist except in her mind? It wasn't possible, surely, it wasn't possible. I couldn't be true. Maybe there'd been a mistake. It wasn't possible...the tears started to course down her cheeks...it wasn't true...it wasn't fair.  
  
It just wasn't fair.  
  



	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own them but I'm trying to look into collecting them.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Updates all round. I have actually written and checked over the last two chapters. I just need to fill in the middle now.  
  
She gave it up as soon as she left her friends. Not for long, just long enough to let go a little. Spike wrapped his arms around her body as she sobbed, "Spike, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix it. I thought it was for the best. That we could tell her when she was older...but...but how old would have been right? How long was I gonna leave it hoping it would go away? I was so selfish Spike. I was so..."  
  
"Shh, luv shh." Her words faded as she cried and he was struck by how alone she must feel, even with her friends. As far as he knew, she had never really admitted how much of a wreck she was when her mom had been ill. Moreover, he knew why. She was the Slayer. She was meant to be strong. And she was ashamed to admit that she didn't always know how to fix it.  
  
How had she coped in the past? Spike knew that Riley had never been any real help. How had she not had a breakdown? Spike shook his head to clear it. It was not the time, and anyway it didn't matter. She wasn't alone now. She had him. "Pet listen to me. You don't have to know how to fix it. We'll fix it together."  
  
At his words, she seemed to stop shaking. After a moment, the crying stopped and she lifted her head. "Okay."  
  
Dawn pushed open the swing doors. It was all she could think of. She had to know. And they...they knew. The man outside the magic shop had known and the man at the hospital...and even her own mother. Her mother had known that she was a thing.  
  
Now she wanted to know.  
  
She wasn't scared. At least that was what she was trying to tell herself. She walked into the room. It was filled with mumbling and even though mumbling is an almost soft sound, it sounded harsh to her. Harsh and cold. As though they all knew what kind of 'thing', she was. They knew and she didn't.  
  
She leant over one of the beds, "You see me right?"  
  
She couldn't make out all of what he was saying; it was confused and hard to make sense of, "...all spilled out..."  
  
From the other side of her, another one was repeating the same phrase, "Can't hear it, can't hear it, can't hear it, can't hear it..."  
  
She felt the tears filling her eyes, "You know what I am don't you? You all know. What am I?"  
  
Then she saw him; heard him. "The Key! I found it. Thank you. Thank you."  
  
Dawn nearly fell over in her urgency to get to the bed, "You know what the key is? Where did I come from? Who made me? What...what am I?  
  
The man didn't answer her. She felt her stomach clench in desperation. No. This man knew her. He had to help her, "Please..."  
  
"DESTROYER! The sun...the sun bleeding into the sky..."  
  
It was true, she was evil. She was...no. She couldn't be, "No...no..."  
  
"The key is the link, the link must be severed, such is the will of god. SUCH IS THE WILL OF GOD!"  
  
She fought the urge to press her hands to her ears to shut out the sounds of their voices, all yelling at her. All telling her that she wasn't real, that she didn't exist. NO! "No..."  
  
"Can't hear it...such is the will of god...can't can't can't hear it..."  
  
She spun around and pushed the doors open. Almost crashing straight into Ben.  
  
"Hey Dawn right?"  
  
"Ben...I...I'm sorry..."  
  
Ben frowned as he noticed the marks of tears on her face, "Dawn? Are you okay?"  
  
Dawn nodded and bit her lip. Ben wasn't fooled for a second, "Yeah right. Come on. Let's get you something to drink."  
  
He was nice. He was kind. He shouldn't be sat with her. She was evil. She knew that he was speaking to her and she should try to pay attention. She also knew that she shouldn't be saying the words that were coming out other mouth. They were dangerous. But she couldn't seem to force herself to care. She couldn't make it matter. Ben was sitting her telling her she would be better one day. But why should she be? For all she knew this wasn't real, "It's not real, none of this they made it."  
  
"Dawn..."  
  
"I'm nothing. I'm just a thing the monks made so that Glory couldn't find me. I'm not real."  
  
She was so upset she could barely think straight. But she wasn't so far gone that she didn't see the dawning look of horror on Ben's face. "You're the key!"  
  
How...that wasn't possible. Why should he know? "How do you know about the key?"  
  
"Just go now. Before she finds you. Don't ask me how she knows cause she always knows. You don't understand. You're a kid. If she finds you she'll hurt you."  
  
Dawn desperately wanted to ask what he knew. This guy was sane and he knew about the key. He could help her. He could tell her what she needed to know. But before she could even form a sentence Ben started flicking his eyes around the room, "Oh no. She's here. She's coming. You've gotta get out. Oh, no, no, she's here! She's here!"  
  
Dawn yelped as Ben gripped her arms...and then. Then he wasn't Ben. He was...oh god. He was Glory.  
  
Then her mind began to mist over. She knew that Glory was speaking to her. But she couldn't seem to make any sense of what she was saying.  
  
Wait.  
  
Why was Glory here?  
  
Where had she come from? Wait. She knew that. Glory was...Ben. She was Ben, she tried to make her mind accept it, "You're Ben."  
  
Glory answered her, but she didn't really hear her. Glory was here, and she didn't know how. Ben had been here and then suddenly Glory was here. How...? She had no idea. But she did know one thing. She had to get out of here before...  
  
Glory's voice cut into her thoughts, "You'd never make it. I'd rip out your spine before you got half a step. And those little legs...they would be much good without one of those..." Glory appeared right next to her face, "Would they Dawnie?"  
  
Dawn's mind spun. She heard the door open and tried to open her mouth to call out a warning to the man, but Glory killed him. She killed him. And she would kill Dawn too. She knew it. Glory was looking for her. Did she want her dead? Dawn shuddered in horror as Glory yanked her to her feet, "What do you say we find a nice place off the beat where you and I can have a long uninterrupted chat?"  
  
"She wasn't brought in."  
  
Xander smiled encouragingly, "That's a good thing right?"  
  
"I don't know...I..."  
  
"You should see him. His head's almost twisted clean off."  
  
Buffy clenched her teeth, "Glory!"  
  
They scoured the hospital. Spike told them that they should split up. But Buffy said no, and as soon as she said it he realised why. She didn't want to leave her friends alone with Glory around. She might not be able to fight Glory but they sure as hell couldn't even try. He nodded to her and they continued on.  
  
"So, this key thing. It's been around for a long time?"  
  
Glory looked a little proud, "Well, not as long as me, but yeah. Just this side of forever."  
  
"So...what does it do? If there's a key there must be a lock right?"  
  
"Yes. We have a winner."  
  
Dawn braced herself, "What does it open?" She knew at once that she had gone too far. Glory had smelt a very large rat. No, not now. Not when she was so close. Sat in front of her was a creature that could tell her everything...or almost everything that she wanted to know. But as she watched Glory's face harden, she knew that it would not work.  
  
"I smell a fox in my hen house. So what? Have you been playing sneaky peek with Uncle Ben? Trying to get a peek at Glory's unmentionables?"  
  
"NO! I..."  
  
"Shhh, I kinda wanna hear me talking right now. Me talking."  
  
Buffy was getting reckless and she knew it. She had already been forced to knock out a nurse who had tried to stop them from going up a floor as it was after visiting hours. She didn't have a choice. She had to find her sister.  
  
Dawn was really scared now. Not only was she in a room with a God from hell who she knew was capable of ripping grown men's heads off, and even scarier, hadn't lost to her sister, she was in a room with a God who was also losing her grip...or so it seemed, "What's...what's wrong with you?"  
  
Glory seemed to right herself a little, "Hey...this doesn't have to be a complete waste of my precious time. I've been meaning to send the Slayer a message. Two birds, one stone and" she clapped her hands in front of Dawn's face, "We have yummy dead birds."  
  
Dawn forced her eyes open. She might not be as strong as her sister, hell she might not even be real, but she was not going to be a coward.  
  
A blur of colour caught her eye as people streamed into the room, "Get away from my sister."  
  
Dawn sank to her knees. She could hear them talking, but now that they were here the whole thing was a blur. She watched her 'sister' and Spike fight Glory, she even watched as Glory took them down. But for some reason she wasn't truly afraid anymore. Whatever Buffy was, she was here and that made her not afraid. What did that mean?  
  
She was so confused that she felt as though her head was literally moving round, as though she was going to pass out. Did she still love Buffy? Yes...yes she did. But why did she? Buffy wasn't...no...she was real...how could she love anything when she wasn't part of anything... "DISCADAI!"  
  
Dawn snapped back to reality as Glory disappeared. She saw the look of indignation on the woman's face. It was almost comic. She felt Buffy touch her arms, sitting her upright again, "Are you okay?"  
  
Dawn couldn't bear it, "What do you care?"  
  
"Because I love you. You're my sister."  
  
Dawn fought the urge to cover her ears, it wasn't true, "No, I'm not."  
  
Buffy met Dawn's eyes and held them, "Yes you are." Buffy pressed her hand to the wound on her shoulder, and linked it with Dawn's. "It's blood. It's Summer's blood. It's just like mine." Dawn felt her eyes fill up with tears. When they had first talked to her after she had found out she had been angry.  
  
She felt that they were trying to convince her of something that wasn't true, but now...She still felt that Buffy was trying to convince her but it was different. She still knew that she had been made six months ago, but the fact remained that she couldn't love these people any more, couldn't love her sister anymore than she did even if she had always been there and they...they loved her. She looked around her at all the faces, the people who had risked their lives tonight to come here and find her.  
  
"It doesn't matter where you came from, or how you got here. You are my sister. There's no way you could annoy me so much if you weren't."  
  
Dawn wrapped her arms around Buffy. Her sister, "I was so scared."  
  
"I know me too."  
  
Dawn felt a hand on her back, "We need to get you home little bit."  
  
Dawn smiled up at him, "Do you still get to call me that?"  
  
He frowned, "Why shouldn't I?"  
  
"I'm actually older than you."  
  
His smirk returned, "Yeah? Well I'm taller." 


End file.
